American Rescue Plan Act
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to a $1.9 trillion federal relief package. The bill, which President Biden is expected to sign on Friday, sends direct payments to many Americans, expands a child tax credit, extends a $300 weekly unemployment supplement, and is slated to provide more than $120 billion for K-12 education and $40 billion for higher education. Enclosed here is a topline summary of the American Rescue Plan Act thanks to EducationCounsel. Statements and resources from PIE Network members are listed in the resources section below.
Congressional Pushback on Biden Administration’s Position on Annual Testing
Six congressional Democrats from both the House and Senate sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to encourage him to “provide all states with waivers for all federal testing requirements for this school year.” In addition, the lawmakers say the U.S. Department of Education should focus on other ways to support students and educators during the pandemic. Please join the Network conversation on March 16, listed below, for more details and to discuss ways to take action.
Extension of School Nutrition Waivers
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the nationwide extension of several waivers through September 30, 2021, that allows children to continue to receive nutritious meals even when schools are closed. During COVID-related school closures, schools relied on these waivers for greater flexibility in how, where, and when they serve meals.