Carson City, NV - The Nevada Health Response Center is highlighting support provided by the Nevada Department of Education (NDE), Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) and other state agencies to ensure that Nevada students and educators can have access to in-person education in as safe a manner as possible. This includes the release of the State of Nevada Support of Education: COVID-19 Recovery and Response Report- Version 1 developed by NDE in coordination with other State leaders. The memo is attached.

“From prioritizing education personnel for COVID-19 vaccinations, to supplying critical PPE, to working with school districts to expand testing and contact tracing, I am proud of the state and local partnerships that are helping more children get back to in-person learning as safely as possible,” said Governor Sisolak. “State agencies such as the Division of Public and Behavioral Health and Nevada Department of Education will continue to provide any assistance, resources, and support necessary and available to ensure we can continue getting students back into the classroom.”

“I want to thank Governor Sisolak for his unwavering commitment to listening to and supporting the needs of our education system,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “I also want to recognize the district and school leaders, educators, and staff who have been flexible and nimble in response to the circumstances created by COVID-19 while continuing to put the health, safety, and social-emotional wellness of our students first.”

The attached State of Nevada Support of Education: COVID-19 Recovery and Response Report- Version 1 includes information on the response efforts since the start of the pandemic. It includes specifics on Emergency Directives, guidance and support issued by NDE, programs and resources provided to ensure student and staff health and safety, overview of federal funding, and more.

Below you will find some key highlights from the report:

• As of February 2021, the Nevada Division of Emergency Management has provided over 4.5 million items of PPE to public, private, charter & Tribal schools throughout Nevada.
• To date, every educator in every county school district in the State has either received their first and/or second shot, is scheduled to get vaccinated, or has had the opportunity to access vaccination under this priority group.
• DPBH has worked to provide critical funding for disease investigation surge staff to support Clark County School District (CCSD) and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). There will be over 150 staff to support CCSD by mid-March.
• Nevada was one of only five states awarded federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program. The funding will increase students’ access to qualified mental health service professionals.
• The Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) has been collaborating with NDE on BinaxNOW rapid test rollout and distribution to all interested public, charter, and private schools – regardless of their model for in-person or virtual instruction.
• In January, Connecting Kids announced that the coalition formed under the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force has reached and connected every K-12 student in Nevada participating in distance learning, whether full- or part-time. In all 17 of the State’s school districts as well as State- and district-sponsored charter schools, every student participating in online learning due to COVID-19 restrictions has confirmed at-home access to the internet and a computer.

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