Federal Programs

These funds are typically awarded to schools and districts with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students.

Title Programs are designed to focus specifically on:

• Academic Achievement
• Academic Intervention
• Teacher training, Recruitment & Retention
• ESL (English as a Second Language) program enhancement
• Technology
• Safe School Climate & Culture
• Family Engagement & Parental Involvement

Lakeland School System is receiving Title I School-wide funding based on data prior to becoming a municipal school district. These funds will supplement existing programs and are to be used for supporting student academic achievement.

LSS is currently using these funds to:

• Identify students experiencing academic difficulties and provide interventions to promote academic success
• Purchase research-based supplemental programs/materials/supplies
• Enhance technology, maker-space, science lab, STEM, and fine arts programs
• Provide academic interventionists
• Focus on family engagement and parental involvement

The purpose of these funds is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts improve teacher and principal quality and ensure that all teachers are effective. These funds can be used to support states and districts in recruiting, preparing, training, and developing teachers and school leaders. LSS uses these funds to provide professional development opportunities for school and district staff.

The purpose of Title III is to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) students, including immigrant children and youth, develop English proficiency and meet the same academic content and academic achievement standards that other children are expected to meet. LSS uses these funds for professional development for ESL teachers, curriculum and materials to enhance ESL instruction, technology for ESL students, and parental involvement activities.

The Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program is intended to help 1) provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, 2) improve school conditions for student learning, and 3) Improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.  LSS uses these funds for improving the social and emotional well-being of students, creating a safe learning environment, improving the use of equipment in makerspace and STEM lab.

ESEA requires that local agencies and schools receiving federal funds ensure that parents have the opportunity to be actively involved and knowledgeable about their child’s education.  Please select the link below to access the ESEA Parental Notification:

Parental Notification Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) - (en español)

Title IX of the Education Amendments Acts of 1972 provides that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Any individual who has knowledge of behaviors that may constitute a violation of protections under Title IX including sexual harassment and/or discrimination on the basis of sex please contact the Title IX coordinator. Per LSS Board Policy 6.3041, all general reports and formal complaints will be responded to promptly by the Title IX Coordinator.

Tammy Wilson, Title IX Coordinator
901-867-5412
titleix@lakelandk12.org

Lakeland School System (LSS) is receiving a 2.85 million dollar funding allocation through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, enacted on March 11, 2021. Funds are designated for one-time or short-term expenditures to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students.

This will be LSS’ third allocation of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. LSS received ESSER I funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted on March 27, 2020, and ESSER II funds under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, enacted on December 27, 2020. Additional information regarding ESSER I, II, and III funds can be found here. 

Our school system’s priority has been and will remain providing safe, in-person learning for all students. In order to develop a plan for the use of ESSER III funds, your input is necessary and crucial to our collective progress. 

The documents linked below outline Lakeland School System’s approved plan for the use of ESSER III funds determined by a thoroughly conducted needs assessment and feedback gathered through surveys and public meetings. To provide additional input for the Federal Relief Spending Plan and the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan, please email ESSERFeedback@lakelandk12.org.

For additional translations or an alternative format to accommodate an individual with a disability as defined by the ADA, please contact Tammy Wilson, Federal Programs Supervisor, at 901-867-5412. 

Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended to view the attached documents:

• Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending (Approved) (en español)
• Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending Addendum (1-11-22) (en español)
• Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending Addendum (9-6-22) (en español)
• Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending Addendum (3-6-23) (en español)
• Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending Addendum (10-2-23) (en español)
• Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan – Updated 11-9-21 (en español)
• Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Addendum (1-11-22) (en español)
• Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Addendum (9-6-2022) (en español)
• Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Addendum (3-1-2023) (en español)
• Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Addendum (10-2-2023) (en español)
• Community Engagement Checklist (en español)
• ESSER III Needs Assessment (en español)
• ESSER III Spending Plan (en español)

LSS receives federal funds to directly compensate for the loss of local revenue from taxes, due to federal properties being tax-exempt. These funds are also designed to support “federally connected” students that include our students in military families. In order to receive these funds, LSS qualifies based on the number of students that fall in the designated categories. This is why it is important for families to complete the annual Impact Aid Survey Form, which provides accurate information about federally connected students.

LSS has used the Impact Aid funds in many ways to benefit students. Some of the items purchased are math software, Remind communication software, translation, and a 3D printer. These funds will continue to be utilized in ways that most benefit students.

Admiral’s Letter (PDF)

Lakeland School System (LSS) is partnering with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to inform LSS families of the opportunity to receive 2021 Advance Child Tax Credit payments available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Families normally not required to file a federal income tax return can visit the Child Tax Credit Non-Filer Sign-up Tool to determine eligibility for advance child tax credit payments. The attached IRS publications detail the necessary steps to find out if you qualify. For additional information, please visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021.