Barbour County Schools is committed to providing high-quality instruction to address our students' learning losses, provide emotional support, as well as provide a safe learning environment for all students. We are looking forward to the 2021-2022 academic year and are working diligently to meet the needs of all our students and staff. 

Barbour County Schools (BCS) developed the following funding plan in compliance with the United States Department of Education’s requirement that each Local Education Agency (LEA) that receives American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds submit a plan that describes how it will use the funds.

BCS plans to open the 2021-22 school year with five days per week of face to face (traditional) instruction at all three school sites. However, a remote option can be extended for students with special circumstances. BCS assurances include the following for face to face (traditional learning):

*Social Distancing Practices: Administrators have outlined procedures for entering and exiting their buildings and daily physical/virtual work responsibilities.  

*Disinfecting/Sanitation of Schools:  Every school will adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Schools have been sanitized with the most up  to date cleaning and sanitizing solutions that guarantee to kill the virus for  up to 6 days. All schools will be sprayed weekly with this clean, powerful, and safe disinfectant. Administrators and teachers will be asked to sanitize  offices/areas again once they arrived.  

*Personal Protective Equipment:  Schools have been provided with: Face Masks, Face Shields, Teacher Plexiglass Shields, Hand Sanitizer, Spray Disinfectants, Fog Disinfectants Machines, and Thermometers  

1. BCS will use funds to implement the following prevention and mitigation strategies:

   • Improve ventilation in facilities by purchasing HVAC Air Condition Systems

   • Purchase desks and furniture to allow for social distancing in classrooms

   • Purchase two school busses to allow students to social distance and student safety

   • Upgrade with touchless toilets and water fountains for safety 

   • Employee teachers, to reduce class sizes to allow social distancing and learning losses

   • Employee part-time tutors for Extended Learning and close the gap of learning losses

   • Employee Summer learning certified teachers and para professionals to help with learning losses

   • Employee a counselor to support emotional needs

   • Employee CNP workers, transportation drivers and nurses for Summer Learning

   • Employee certified teachers, paraprofessionals,  and CNP for After School Learning

   • Extend BCS's Band Director's Summer Contract for Summer Learning  

   • Employee K-3 Coaches to address students' learning loss

   • Employee teachers to reduce classroom sizes and to address specific learning losses that have occurred, due to Covid-19.

   • Employee administrators to observe classes and provide support to faculty and staff 

   • Employee a Student Support & Special Programs Coordinator to oversee the following: Covid-19 Support Systems and Implementation, Student Health Services, Counselors, Multilingual Learning and Special Population Learners.

   • Upgrade the Physical Education facility at Barbour County High School- HVAC, Restroom and weight room upgrade for health improvement and and safety, and increase bleachers for social distancing

   This funding will be used in conjunction with other funding sources to fully implement additional recommended prevention and mitigation strategies, including: enhanced cleaning and disinfection, hand sanitation, contact tracing, and other health related PPE, maintenance and operations and learning losses. 

   
   

Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires each Local Education Agency (LEA) to use at least 20% 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 after-school programs, or extended school year programs. BCS will use APR ESSER III funds to address unfinished learning as described below:

• Provide expanded academic learning loss with Summer Learning Programs

• Provide comprehensive extended day-school programs to close gaps due to learning losses

• Employee additional classroom teachers to reduce the teacher/student ratio and provide more individualized student attention and close gaps due to learning losses

• Employee part-time tutors to provide intervention to students who lost instruction during Covid-19.  

• BCS will provide summer learning opportunities targeting students identified as at-risk learners with greater learning losses. During the summer of 2021, students will participate in project-and problem-based, hands-on learning, while our students in grades 9-12 are completing courses from the previous school year, allowing participants to continue into the next academic year with their peers. 

•  BCS will provide additional staffing and expand transportation in support of academic, social and emotional learning as well as mental health. We will provide these services to all students who are identified during the school year as needed. Support will begin as soon as the need is identified.

  
  

Barbour County Schools will comply with requirements of Section 427 of GEPA (20 U.S.C.) 1228a by identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups.  The BCS framework ensures schools will conduct and manage in-person learning in a safe and healthy environment for all students and educators.

Overcoming barriers based on gender, race, color, national origin, disability, or age will be addressed by providing the following:

*Access to high-quality instruction to close gaps of learning losses

*Access to high-quality educators to close gaps of learning losses

*Social emotional learning needs 

*Access to certified counselors

*IEP service provision during remote instruction

ESSER III allocations will be monitored by the following individuals: BCS Superintendent, BCS Chief Financial Officer (CSFO) and the BCS ESSER Clerk and Bookkeeper. The ESSER Clerk and the CSFO will work together to prepare program budgets, schedules, and budget amendments to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Additionally, the Chief Financial Officer will collect and manage all required data elements by developing systems of collaboration with relevant program directors and supervisors in the collection of required data elements. Required reporting elements will be posted according to ALSDE guidelines. Barbour County's Chief Financial Officer and Superintendent will audit all purchases prior to the obligation of funds to ensure funds are expended as approved in the ESSER grant application. The Chief Financial Officer will audit expenditures prior to requesting grant reimbursements and maintain documentation necessary for year-end audit reporting. The Superintendent and other leaders will develop program goals in collaboration with school leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders.

The Superintendent and school personnel will communicate and involve families and communities throughout the life of the ARP ESSER and other relief funds through various means, including: newsletters, local news media, social media outlets, and parent meetings. These methods focus on the importance of a well-thought-out plan that requires consultation from a variety of stakeholders whose perspective must be taken into consideration for understanding the consequences the pandemic has had on the lives of students, families, and the community. These opportunities include: professional development, webinars, Zoom meetings, organizational meetings, and communication through newsletters and the district's website to support the district in the ARP planning process.