Additional funding worth hundreds of millions of dollars to help low-income and homeless K-12 students recover from the impact of the pandemic has been stopped by the Department of Education (DOE), leading Oregon to join a lawsuit of 15 Attorney Generals and a state Governor.
Funds Had Been Made Available to States Until March 2026
The decision to file a lawsuit against the DOE was announced yesterday by the Oregon Department of Justice in a news release. The lawsuit wants access to the funding previously made accessible to states until March 2026.
The funds were available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and according to Oregon’s AG Dan Rayfield, the ‘sudden change in position has created a massive budget gap for state education departments and local school districts that will cause serious harm to students throughout the country.’
The three programs affected are Homeless Children and Youth (HCY), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS). Rayfield says the programs provide essential resources to help schools and students recover from the pandemic…