Addressing Student and Staff Health with COVID Relief Funding

In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three stimulus bills that provided over $190 billion for education. The funding to state education agencies and local education agencies represents a historic opportunity to support student and staff health and wellness.

About this guide

Addressing Student and Staff Health with COVID Relief Funding highlights how school districts can use COVID-19 relief funding to support student and staff health, including COVID-19 prevention, mental health and well-being, physical health and well-being, social drivers of health, physical and health education, staff and teacher well-being, and family engagement and community involvement.

Developed by AASA, FutureEd, Healthy Schools Campaign, and Kaiser Permanente, this guidance offers concrete steps school districts can take to make data- informed decisions about investing COVID-19 relief funding. In addition to detailing how local education agencies can use COVID-19 relief funding for capacity building and infrastructure, this guidance document highlights sustainable funding streams, such as Medicaid, that can be leveraged to ensure the efforts initiated with federal COVID-19 relief funds are sustained.

Resources

Research and Reports

School Health Priorities and Needs for Reopening

In April 2020, Kaiser Permanente convened a multi-disciplinary work group of seven national organizations to develop practical guidance for schools and districts when they return to the classroom. This paper describes the findings from both the survey and interviews, including the health challenges that are anticipated in the coming school years and resources needed to promote the physical and social-emotional health of the school community.

Research and Reports

Report Summary Infographic

The infographic below summarizes the nearly 800 responses received during the research for this report. The findings reflect on the adequacy of current health supports, anticipated challenges upon reopening, and resources needed to support the physical health, mental health, and well-being of their educational communities.