,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dbfa ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #bb1 #bjbj,mr4 ,perdue introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish a grant program to assist elementary and secondary schools with reopening after closures related to ,,covid-#ai1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,safely ,creating ,healthy ,opening ,options ,locally ,act or the ,,school ,act 4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the absence of in-person learning has reminded the ,nation of how critical schools are for children1 parents1 families1 and their communities4 7#b7 ,our ,nation's goal is safely getting students back to school in the ,fall4 ,to do so successfully1 our teachers and schools will need the support necessary to maintain safety4 7#c7 ,school districts must apply recommendations from ,state and local health officials to ensure that students1 teachers1 and faculty can safely return to the classroom4 #c4 ,state grant program to safely reopen schools 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,local educational agency ,the term local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#b7 ,personal protective equipment ,the term personal protective equipment has the meaning given the term in section #bjjje of the ,,cares ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-acf74 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 7b7 ,authorization of grant program ,from the amount appropriated to carry out this section1 the ,secretary1 acting in partnership with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 shall award grants to local education agencies to enable those local educational agencies to carry out the activities described in subsection 7d74 7c7 ,applications2 ,award criteria 7#a7 ,application ,a local educational agency desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7,a7 school reopening plans1 which shall include-- 7i7 a process for notifying parents of a student's potential interaction with known cases of ,,covid-#ai during school activities1 which shall be carried out in a manner that complies with the requirements under section #ddd of the ,general ,education ,provisions ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #abcb;g71 commonly known as the ,family ,educational ,rights and ,privacy ,act of #aigd1 and other applicable privacy laws1 and is developed and implemented in consultation with administrators of the local educational agency and ,state and local public health officials2 and 7ii7 a certification that those reopening plans do not infringe on student success and meet the guidelines1 recommendations1 and other public health communications issued by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention2 and 7,b7 information relating to the award criteria described in paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,award criteria ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall determine which local educational agencies will receive a grant1 and the amount of each such grant1 after considering school size1 school setting1 specific school needs1 and timing of in-person classes4 7d7 ,use of funds ,a local educational agency receiving funds under this section shall use such funds to carry out one or more of the following3 7#a7 ,purchasing personal protective equipment4 7#b7 ,cleaning and disinfection of schools4 7#c7 ,purchase of supplies necessary to carry out reopening plans described in subsection 7c74 7#d7 ,paying costs associated with school compliance with guidelines1 recommendations1 and other public health communications issued by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 or a ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 ,tribal organization1 or locality related to mitigating the hazards presented by ,coronavirus ,disease #bjai 7,,covid-#ai74 #d4 ,connecting health care professionals with schools 7a7 ,in ,general ,the ,secretary1 in partnership with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 shall develop a process for connecting health care professionals to schools in order to assist such schools with symptom checks1 check-ins1 and additional supports that schools need relating to ,coronavirus ,disease #bjai 7,,covid-#ai74 7b7 ,telehealth ,the ,secretary shall work jointly with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to develop recommendations about how to expand access to telehealth services for students and teachers in areas with a shortage of health care professionals4 7c7 ,guidance on requirement for coverage of testing for ,,covid-#ai in school settings ,not later than ,september #h1 #bjbj1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall issue guidance clarifying that the requirement under section #fjja7;a77#a7 of the ,families ,first ,coronavirus ,response ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-abg71 as amended by the ,,cares ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-acf71 applies in the case of items and services furnished to an individual during a health care provider office visit that occurs in a school setting through telehealth1 to the extent provided in such section4 7d7 ,guidance on providing reimbursement for telehealth services provided in a school-,based setting under ,medicaid and ,,chip ,not later than ,september #h1 #bjbj1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 through the ,administrator of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 shall issue a ,state ,health ,official letter to advise directors of ,state ,medicaid programs under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq47 and ,state ,children's ,health ,insurance ,programs under title ,,xxi of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acig;aa et seq47 on how ,states may provide for coverage under such programs for telehealth services furnished to students1 teachers1 and other school officials in a school-based setting1 including actions ,states can take without ,federal approval to provide coverage under such programs for such services4 #e4 ,clearinghouse of best practices relating to school reopening 7a7 ,in ,general ,the ,secretary shall establish an online data clearinghouse to collect and maintain information relating to school reopening after school closures due to ,coronavirus ,disease #bjai 7,,covid-#ai71 including best practices for such reopening4 7b7 ,criteria for clearinghouse information ,the information contained in such clearinghouse-- 7#a7 shall be evidence-based 7as defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja772 7#b7 shall not promote specific types of products2 and 7#c7 shall be organized by school setting 7such as urban1 rural1 or suburban71 school size1 and the age of students attending the school4 7c7 ,publicly available ,the online data clearinghouse established under this section shall be publicly available online4 #f4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated-- 7#a7 #ej1jjj1jjj1jjj to carry out section #c2 and 7#b7 #ejj1jjj1jjj to carry out sections #d and #e4