INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): The U.S. Department of Education has approved Indiana’s plan for the use of American Rescue Plan funding to support public schools and students.

In a press release, the Department of Education says the federal government will distribute $666-million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to the state, which plans to use the money to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools impacted by the pandemic.

The Indiana Department of Education will also use some of the funding to form programs that address the impact of lost time in the classroom due to the pandemic, plus focus on improving summer learning and afterschool programs and incentivizing local efforts to “reimagine educational opportunities.”

“I am excited to announce the approval of Indiana’s plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities, particularly as we move into the summer and look ahead to the upcoming academic year. The approval of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely reopen schools for full-time, in-person learning; meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The state plans that have been submitted to the Department lay the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and build back better.”