• The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, and educators to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application below requests information from LEAs about: (1) Needs and impacts resulting from the pandemic, (2) Stakeholder engagement in the development of local plans to respond to these needs and impacts, (3) Specific elements in the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds; and (4) Plans for monitoring and measuring progress.  As submitted and accepted by PDE in final form, this application shall become part of the Grant Agreement for ARP ESSER funds as Appendix B. As used in this application, "the LEA" refers to the Grantee defined in the Grant Agreement.

     

    ARP ESSER includes a significant focus on vulnerable student populations. Given these requirements, as well as PDE’s own equity commitments, the LEA application includes specific fields requesting information on programs to serve student groups that have experienced disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. Student groups are inclusive of the following:

    • Students from low-income families;
    • Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by race or ethnicity);
    • Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by gender);
    • English learners;
    • Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities are eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]);
    • Students experiencing homelessness;
    • Children and youth in foster care;
    • Migrant students; and
    • Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have been identified by the LEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal justice system, students who have missed the most in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction when offered during school building closures, and LGBTQ+ students).

    If you have any questions, please contact:

    Business Manager

    Tracy Nicolazzi

    Email -tnicolazzi@eaaecs.org 

    Phone - 484-546-4230