ESSER I CARES is no longer available.

CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act – ESSER Fund
The CARES Act authorized the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) which creates funding streams for several distinct education programs that address the impact of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on educational services. One of two programs in the ESF that require any public school systems in the country to receive these federal funds to provide equitable services to students and teachers in PNP schools. That program is The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) (Section 18003 of the CARES Act).

Allowable uses of funds with ESSER funds for participating PNP schools:
Any activity authorized by the ESEA, individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, or the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;

Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of LEAs with state and local public health departments, and other relevant agencies to improve coordinated responses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus; 

• Providing principals and other school leaders with the necessary resources to address the needs of individual schools;
• Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population; 
• Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs; 
• Training and professional development for staff of the LEA on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases; 
• Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of an LEA, including buildings operated by such agency; 
• Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures, including how to provide meals, technology for online learning to all students, guidance for carrying out IDEA to eligible students, and how to ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements; 
• Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment; 
• Providing mental health services and supports; 
• Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care; and 
• Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in LEAs and to continue to employ existing staff of the LEA.