ARCHIVE: COVID-19 Policy Issues

Federal policy developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to affect EDUCAUSE member institutions. Use these resources gathered by the EDUCAUSE Policy Team to stay informed. See the Policy Spotlight blog for current developments.

Federal Funding

• American Council on Education: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021—Simulated Distribution of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds [https://www.acenet.edu/Policy-Advocacy/Pages/HEA-ED/ARP-Higher-Education-Relief-Fund.aspx], March 2021.

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) HEERF Funds Comparison Chart, March 2021.

• Jarret Cummings, "CARES Act Institutional Relief Funds and IT Expenses," EDUCAUSE Review—Policy Spotlight, June 10, 2020. (Reviews major elements of U.S. Department of Education guidance)

• U.S. Department of Education: Relief Funding for Higher Education Institutions

  • Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) [https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/response-programs/crrsaa-higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-heerf-ii]—Additional relief funding provided under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), passed December 2020

    • Institutional aid [https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfiiinstitutional.html] information (including aid allocations for individual institutions)

    • Information about emergency grants to students [https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfstudent.html] distributed by institutions

    • NASFAA HEERF II Reference Page

  • Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)—The original CARES Act relief funding from March 2020

    • Institutional aid [https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfinstitutional.html] information (including aid allocations for individual institutions)

    • Information about emergency grants to students [https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfstudent.html] distributed by institutions

Broadband Access and Infrastructure

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (Provides subsidized broadband service/devices for unserved/underserved households, including those with Pell Grant recipients)

  • FAQ for potential recipients of program benefits

  • "FCC Announces First Slate of Emergency Broadband Benefit Providers" (press release), Federal Communications Commission, April 1, 2021.

• Kevin Taglang, "American Rescue Plan: Broadband and the Social Safety Net," Weekly Digest, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, March 12, 2021.

• Casey Lide and Jason P. Chun, "Overview of Broadband Funding Opportunities in the COVID-19 Relief Act," National Law Review, January 19, 2021. (Reviews the broadband provisions of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, which passed in December 2020 and includes the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Accessibility

• "Questions and Answers for Postsecondary Institutions Regarding the COVID-19 National Emergency," Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, May 12, 2020. (Discusses institutional compliance with accessibility requirements in addition to other civil rights compliance issues)

• "Department of Education OCR Guidance for K-12 Provides Clues on Web Accessibility Compliance for Higher Ed," EDUCAUSE Review—Policy Spotlight, March 30, 2020.

• "Supplemental Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities," Office for Civil Rights and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, March 21, 2020.

• "Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students," Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, March 16, 2020.

Useful Sites and Resources

• EDUCAUSE COVID-19 Resources

  • Information on options that companies are providing to help institutions and students during the pandemic

  • EDUCAUSE COVID-19 Quick Polls (Insights into institutional issues and responses)

• American Council on Education (ACE) COVID-19 Resources and Information [https://www.acenet.edu/pages/covid-19-information.aspx] (General higher education policy developments and association community responses)

• National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Coronavirus Policy Issues

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) COVID-19 Web Center (Federal student aid policy issues)

• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) COVID-19 Crisis Practices

• U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Information (See "Additional Resources for Higher Education Institutions")

  • General departmental guidance on policies/waivers

  • FERPA and COVID-19 FAQs

• WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) COVID-19 Updates and Resources (Policy issues regarding distance learning program development and delivery)

  • COVID-19 and Academic Integrity [https://wcet.wiche.edu/sites/default/files/Covid-brief-academic-integrity_4-1.pdf]

  • State Authorization for Distance Education [https://wcet.wiche.edu/sites/default/files/State-authorization-for-distance-education-final_3-21-20.pdf]