President-elect Donald Trump has named Brooke Rollins to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where she would oversee the programs that reimburse schools providing school meals for low-income children. Rollins, a Texas native, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a conservative think…
On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that, starting in the 2027-28 school year, schools will be prohibited from charging junk fees to low-income families for meals served through the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program. The new policy will only apply to…
A recent U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation found concerns about St. Johns County School District’s “very high” rate of restraint for students with disabilities. As a result, the school district has agreed to assess its use of restraint on a monthly basis, along with making…
Fewer kindergartners are getting routine vaccinations compared to pre-pandemic times, dipping from 95% in the 2019-20 school year to less than 93% in 2023-24, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, the vaccination exemption rate for this group rose from 2.5% in 2019-20 to 3.3.%…
On October 24, 2024, prompted by a Biden administration October 2023 executive order and as a result of U.S. Department of Education (USDE) public listening sessions held with 90 educators as well as 12 roundtable discussions with education leaders between December 2023 and March 2024, USDE's Office of Educational Technology…
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) results of a 2023 nationwide Youth Risk Behavior Survey released on October 8, 2024, Asian, multiracial, and Black students were the most likely to report having ever experienced racism in school. In fact,more than half of Asian students (57%) and nearly…
On October 8, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of its first nationally representative survey data on transgender students, which showed that transgender students also had higher rates of bullying and poor mental health. In fact, CDC found that approximately 3% of the nation’s high…
Nationally, about 19% of students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported they were bullied in the 2021-22 school year. Topping the list includes being the subject of rumors, being called names or insulted, and physically being shoved, pushed or spat on, according to the National Center for Education…
A steady increase in school shootings in recent years, combined with a flurry of violent threats and swatting calls, has school districts on edge as they begin the 2024-25 school year. How to receive and handle tips regarding potentially harmful behavior is a major concern for schools. Although some tips…
According to a September 18, 2024 Rand Corporation report, despite growing concerns and an increasing number of incidents of gun violence on school grounds in recent years, practice drills to prepare for such an incident remain controversial. Researchers found that "even practice drills — which simulate lockdown situations in an…
