U.S. Department Of Education Approves Indiana’s COVID-19 Relief Funding Plan

The U.S. Department of Education has approved Indiana’s plan outlining how the state is using the latest round of federal COVID-19 relief funding. Officials announced approval of Indiana’s plan alongside a handful of other states Thursday.

States are required to receive federal approval before accessing the full amount of the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – or ESSER – funding. The plans outline how states are using, and intend to use, federal relief to safely open schools and provide more opportunities for students impacted by the pandemic.

The approval does not change the timeline for Hoosier schools to use federal funds to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. USDOE already released two-thirds of the latest ESSER funding to states earlier this year.

Indiana is receiving a total of more than $1.9 billion through the American Rescue Plan. The formal approval releases the final $666 million of that amount to the state.

Contact reporter Jeanie at jlindsa@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @jeanjeanielindz.