(a) (1) A local educational agency receiving funds under subdivision (b) of Section 43521 shall implement a learning recovery program that, at a minimum, provides supplemental instruction, support for social and emotional well-being, and, to the maximum extent permissible under the guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture, meals and snacks to, at a minimum, pupils who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, English learners, foster youth, homeless pupils, pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs, pupils at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, disengaged pupils, and pupils who are below grade level, including, but not limited to, those who did not enroll in kindergarten in the 2020–21 school year, credit-deficient pupils, high school pupils at risk of not graduating, and other pupils identified by certificated staff.
(2) Consistent with the plan created pursuant to subdivision (e), a local educational agency shall plan supplemental instruction and support in a tiered framework that bases universal, targeted, and intensive supports on pupils’ needs for academic, social-emotional, and other integrated pupil supports, and provides the services through a program of engaging learning experiences in a positive school climate.
(b) Specifically, funds received under subdivision (b) of Section 43521 shall be expended only for any of the following purposes:
(1) Extending instructional learning time in addition to what is required pursuant to Part 24.5 (commencing with Section 43500) of Division 3 for the 2020–21 school year and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 46100) of Part 26 of, or Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 47610) of, Division 4 and Section 300.106 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations for the 2021–22 and the 2022–23 school years by increasing the number of instructional days or minutes provided during the school year, providing summer school or intersessional instructional programs, or taking any other action that increases the amount of instructional time or services provided to pupils based on their learning needs.
(2) Accelerating progress to close learning gaps through the implementation, expansion, or enhancement of learning supports including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(A) Tutoring or other one-on-one or small group learning supports provided by certificated or classified staff.
(B) Learning recovery programs and materials designed to accelerate pupil academic proficiency or English language proficiency, or both.
(C) Educator training, for both certificated and classified staff, in accelerated learning strategies and effectively addressing learning gaps, including training in facilitating quality and engaging learning opportunities for all pupils.
(3) Integrated pupil supports to address other barriers to learning, such as the provision of health, counseling, or mental health services, access to school meal programs, before and after school programs, or programs to address pupil trauma and social-emotional learning, or referrals for support for family or pupil needs.
(4) Community learning hubs that provide pupils with access to technology, high-speed internet, and other academic supports.
(5) Supports for credit deficient pupils to complete graduation or grade promotion requirements and to increase or improve pupils’ college eligibility.
(6) Additional academic services for pupils, such as diagnostic, progress monitoring, and benchmark assessments of pupil learning.
(7) Training for school staff on strategies, including trauma-informed practices, to engage pupils and families in addressing pupils’ social-emotional health needs and academic needs.
(c) (1) Of the funds apportioned under paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 43521, a local educational agency shall use at least 10 percent of its apportionment to hire paraprofessionals to provide supplemental instruction and support through the duration of this program, with a priority for full-time paraprofessionals. Supplemental instruction and support shall be prioritized for English learners and pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs. It is the intent of the Legislature that a local educational agency prioritize rehiring paraprofessionals subject to layoff or release after the expiration of the protections included for classified employees in Section 94 of Chapter 24 of the Statutes of 2020, and further increasing the number of paraprofessional staff to meet the requirements of this subdivision.
(2) The department shall identify for each local educational agency the amount of funding received pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 43521 that is required to be expended pursuant to this subdivision.
(3) Funds expended pursuant to this subdivision shall count towards meeting the minimum use of funds requirement described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).
(4) For purposes of this subdivision, “paraprofessional” has the same meaning as in subdivision (a) of Section 45330.
(d) (1) Of the funds apportioned under subdivision (b) of Section 43521, a local educational agency shall use at least 85 percent of its apportionment for expenditures related to providing in-person services allowable pursuant to subdivision (b).
(2) A local educational agency that has forfeited funding pursuant to clause (ii) or (iii) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 43521 may expend up to 10 percent of funding received pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 43521 in the 2020–21 school year to support school reopening for instructional services related to learning loss. Funds expended pursuant to this paragraph shall be considered “expenditures related to providing in-person services allowable pursuant to subdivision (b)” for purposes of paragraph (1).
(3) Of the funds apportioned under subdivision (b) of Section 43521, a local educational agency may expend up to 15 percent to increase or improve services for pupils participating in distance learning or to support activities intended to prepare a local educational agency for in-person instruction, before in-person instructional services are offered.
(e) (1) On or before June 1, 2021, the governing board or body of a local educational agency that receives funds under subdivision (b) of Section 43521 shall adopt at a public meeting a plan describing how the apportioned funds will be used in accordance with this section. Within 5 days of adoption, a school district shall submit the plan to its county office of education, a charter school shall submit its plan to its chartering authority, and a county office of education or a school district in a single-district county shall submit its plan to the department. A county office of education or a chartering authority shall send received plans to the Superintendent upon request. Local educational agencies shall provide an opportunity for parents and schoolsite staff to be involved in the development of the plan.
(2) (A) Within 21 days of the effective date of Assembly Bill 86 of the 2021–22 Regular Session, the Superintendent, with the concurrence of the executive director of the state board, shall develop and post on the department’s internet website a template for the plan required pursuant to paragraph (1). The template shall include all of the following:
(i) A description of the local educational agency’s plan for assessing the needs of its pupils.
(ii) A description of the local educational agency’s plan for informing the parents and guardians of all of its pupils requiring learning recovery supports of the availability of these opportunities, including in parents’ and guardians’ primary languages pursuant to Section 48985.
(iii) A description of how the local educational agency involved parents and schoolsite staff, including classified and certificated staff, in the development of the plan.
(iv) A description of how the local educational agency has planned supplemental instruction and support pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(v) The local educational agency’s expenditure plan for funds received under subdivision (b) of Section 43521 and how they will be coordinated with funds received from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund provided through the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (Public Law 116-260) that were received by the local educational agency. The expenditure plan shall include an indication of how much of the apportioned funds the local educational agency will allocate and expend for each allowable purpose pursuant to this section, and shall reflect both estimated and actual expenditures. Actual expenditures shall be reported when they are available.
(B) The development of the template for the plan pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall not be subject to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
(3) This subdivision does not preclude a local educational agency from receiving or expending funds apportioned under subdivision (b) of Section 43521 before the adoption of its plan pursuant to paragraph (1).
(f) Funds apportioned under subdivision (c) of Section 43521 may be used for any purpose consistent with providing in-person instruction for any pupil participating in in-person instruction, including, but not limited to, COVID-19 testing, cleaning and disinfection, personal protective equipment, ventilation and other schoolsite upgrades necessary for health and safety, salaries for certificated or classified employees providing in-person instruction or services, and social and mental health support services provided in conjunction with in-person instruction.
(g) A local educational agency and state special school apportioned funds under Section 43521 shall ensure all services delivered to pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs are delivered in accordance with an applicable individualized education program.
(h) Local educational agencies are encouraged to engage, plan, and collaborate on program operation with community partners and expanded learning programs, and leverage existing behavioral health partnerships and Medi-Cal billing options, in the design and implementation of services provided under this section.
(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 10, Sec. 2. (AB 86) Effective March 5, 2021. Inoperative June 30, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 43525.)