The 2020-2023 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Grant provides school districts with the funds to reopen schools safely, sustain safe operations, and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
What many school districts do not realize is that they can use their ARP ESSER III funds to ensure that their current security system is operating reliably and effectively through a service and maintenance agreement. With students returning back to school, having a proactive service solution lets district leaders stay confident in their system’s performance.
Districts are able to have a plan of action that not only protects students, but also ensures peak system performance 24/7.
Investing in a professional service agreement is allowable with ARP ESSER III funds as long as the district justifies that the expense is reasonable and necessary. Districts can apply ESSER funds towards security system maintenance through any of the following statutorily allowable activities:
- School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to maintenance student health needs;
- Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of LEAs with…relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus;
- Developing and implementing…systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs; and
- Other activities that are necessary to: maintain the operation of and continuity of services in the LEA. (For more information, click here).
Living through a pandemic has taught the world that preventative maintenance is key. When speaking to multiple districts, they identified that the funds would not only grant them the ability to upgrade their existing security technology, but also give them the opportunity to commit to a professional service agreement. The ARP ESSER III Grant allows schools to undergo necessary repairs and improvements meant to protect student needs now and in the future.
Having a service agreement with an integrator can standardize processes quickly and easily, drive down costs, maximize efficiencies, lower stress and improve safety.
If you’re unsure on how to best allocate your school district’s funds, you’re not alone. Our team at 3Sixty Integrated can help your district maintain a safe campus environment through a service and maintenance agreement and meet the ESSER III Grant Application deadline of Tuesday, July 27th. We can help you develop a budgetary cost and implementation plan at no charge and with no commitment to work with us in the future. Click here to schedule a short, 15-minute meeting or call us at 877-374-9894.