Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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and outlined some enumerated eligible services under this use. These enumerated uses included early learning services, assistance to high -poverty school districts to advance equitable funding across districts and geographies, and educational and evidence -based services to address the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students. Addressing the many dimensions of resource equity including equitable and adequate school funding; access to a well-rounded education; well -prepared, effective, and diverse educators and staff; and integrated support services can also begin to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on schools and students and can close long-standing gaps in educational opportunity. As discussed above, in the final rule, early learning services and addressing the impacts of lost instructional time for K-12 students are enumerated eligible uses for impacted communities, not just disproportionately impacted communities. Public Comment: Treasury received some comments in this category. Generally, commenters expressed agreement with the elements of the interim final rule regarding use of funds for addressing educational disparities. Some commenters had questions about whether a few specific uses of funds qualified under this category. For example, commenters inquired about whether the funds could be used for behavioral health in a school setting or cultural language classes. Treasury Response: Treasury is maintaining these enumerated eligible uses in the final rule, which are now organized under the heading of "services to address educational disparities." Treasury reiterates that these uses include addressing educational disparities exacerbated by COVID-19, including but not limited to: increasing resources for high -poverty school districts, educational services like tutoring or afterschool programs, summer education and enrichment programs, and supports for students' social, emotional, and mental health needs. This also 138