“To establish an alternative use of certain Federal education funds when in-person instruction is not available.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 school closures on low-income students, students of color, and disadvantaged groups (e.g., those with low math scores, limited English proficiency, or qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch). Among other points, the findings cite research predicting a 25% decrease in post-educational earning potential for ninth graders in the poorest 20% of neighborhoods after one year of closure (versus no substantial losses for students in the richest 20%).
This section requires each local educational agency (LEA) plan under Title I-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)—which provides formula grants to LEAs for schools serving disadvantaged children to help such children meet state academic standards—to comply with new in-person instruction requirements. (As background, Title I-A is the largest federal K-12 program, distributing over $18 billion annually to approximately 90% of school districts.) It adds subsection (f), effective for the first school year after enactment, requiring LEAs to establish and implement a failure-to-open direct payment plan for covered schools (i.e., public elementary or secondary schools receiving Title I-A funds) under which parents receive direct payments if such a school fails for more than three days in a school year, due to a public health emergency or collective bargaining action, to offer in-person instruction to all students wishing to attend. The payment amount equals the covered funding amount (i.e., [school's Title I-A funds divided by student enrollment, then divided by funded school days]) multiplied by the number of such days, restricted to qualified educational expenses (e.g., curriculum materials, tutoring, private school tuition, therapies for students with disabilities); payments must be made daily to the extent practicable; and parents must submit receipts or return unused funds within 30 days of in-person instruction resumption. (Thus, parents gain portable funding for educational alternatives when public schools do not provide in-person options.)