York County School Division

ARPA ESSER III Plan for Instruction

Section 1: Introduction

The purpose of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Fund is to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impacts of COVID-19 on the nation’s students by addressing students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The York County School Division (YCSD) has been awarded $5,217,227.65 in ESSER III funds. This plan describes how the awarded funds will be used. Please note that this plan is dependent upon grant and Board approval.

Questions about this plan should be directed to Dr. Vika Stephenson, Grant Coordinator/Writer.

To respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, YCSD follows CDC, VDH, and local Health Department guidance to the extent practicable. An updated Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services will be posted on the York County School Division website and reviewed at least every six months.

Section 2: Prevention and Mitigation Strategies

ARP Act ESSER III funds may be used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent practicable, consistent with the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on reopening schools, in order to continuously and safely open and operate schools for in-person learning. YCSD will use approximately $40,000 of its ARP Act ESSER III funds to implement prevention and mitigation strategies as described below.

Section 3: Addressing Unfinished Learning

Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires each LEA to use twenty percent of its formula funds to address the academic impact of lost instructional time (learning loss) through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended school year programs. YCSD will use approximately $2,452,843 of its ARP Act ESSER III funds to address unfinished learning as described below.

  • Provide traditional and enrichment summer school opportunities during summer 2022 through summer 2024.
  • Provide e-Tutoring opportunities for all students in grade 3 through 12.
  • Provide supports to address the continuity of learning.
  • Provide LETRS training and materials for cohort teachers.
  • Provide training and instructional materials to support writing instruction in grades 3-12.
  • Provide instructional resources to support the division's gifted services model.
  • Hire an English Language (EL) Coach to support the EL program by mentoring, monitoring, and assisting EL teachers in implementing research-based best instructional practices.
  • Hire an Assessment, Compliance and Intervention Coordinator (ACI) to coordinate and monitor processes and requirements for Tired Systems of Support/Response to Intervention (TSS/RtI) programs.

Section 4: Other Uses of Funds

Section 2001(e) of the ARP Act permits school divisions to use the ARP Act ESSER III funding that are not reserved to address unfinished learning to address the impacts of COVID-19 in a variety of ways. YCSD will use approximately $2,724,384 of its ARP Act ESSER III funds in accordance with Section 2001(e) of the ARP Act as described below.

  • Provide resources and training in support of building family and home partnerships.
  • Provide curriculum, instruction, and assessment professional development, training, and supports for highly vulnerable populations.
  • Provide a Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) Summer Academy in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
  • Provide an elementary transition program for students with communication and behavioral needs.
  • Provide mental health training to all staff.
  • Provide training on interventions for trauma informed practices to select staff.
  • Purchase assistive technologies for K-12 communication support and multiple disabilities programs.
  • Purchase additional technology for student and staff use.
  • Purchase tools to improve family and community engagement and customer service operations.
  • Provide communication supports for students with disabilities.
  • Hire an Assistive Technology/Autism Services Improvement (ASIT) Coach and a cohort of teachers who will be trained and receive a stipend to support the successful implementation of the assistive technologies in classroom instruction to support classroom teachers.
  • Reserve indirect costs as allowed by federal and state guidelines.

Section 5: Addressing Students' Academic, Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

In partnering with our family and community supports, YCSD engages in creating a positive, connected, inclusive, and safe environment to embrace ALL learners through the development of a social emotional learning framework.

Acknowledging diversity is foundational in building capacity for our social and emotional awareness while sustaining an intentional focus on equitable access and academic success. YCSD schools have allocated ESSER III funds to provide mental health and social & emotional learning supports to students and staff. These supports include the following:

  • Mental health training for all staff.
  • Trauma Informed Practices training for select staff.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) training for select staff.
  • Trauma Focused -- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) training for select staff.

Additionally, the division will utilize ESSER II-Set Aside funds to provide mental health and social & emotional supports through mental health professional development and training.

Section 6: Consultation with Stakeholders and Opportunity for Public Comment

In developing the ARP ESSER III Plan, YSCD staff conducted consultation in the following ways:

  • In July 2021, the York County School Division shared the YCSD ARP ESSER III Stakeholder Survey on the division website for community feedback.
  • Stakeholders included students, parents/families, administrators, teachers, support staff, and community members.
  • Stakeholder groups included individuals who represented students from the most vulnerable populations to include: children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, students with disabilities, migratory students, English learners, and other underserved populations.
  • After the completion of the public comment period, SBO staff reviewed the survey results and utilized the stakeholder input to draft the ESSER III plan.

Section 7: Making the Plan Available to the Public

The York County School Division has taken the following steps to make this plan available to the public:

  • The plan is posted on the York County School Division website.
  • Through use of the drop-down menu of our web translation tool, the plan may be viewed on our website in multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish, the plan can be orally translated for parents. Contact Dr. Vika Stephenson, Grant Coordinator/Writer to request translation services.

Upon request, a parent who is an individual with a disability, as defined by the ADA, may be provided with the plan in an alternative format. Contact Termaine Hopkins, Director of Special Education to request this service.

Print version of the ARPA ESSR III Plan for Instruction

YCSD ARP ESSER III Stakeholder Survey Results

Revised 8/22/2022