On March 1, 2024, President Joe Biden signed a budgetary Continuing Resolution (CR) into law, providing fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations to several federal agencies through March 22, 2024. This includes the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The CR had passed through Congress in a 320-99 vote in the House…
On February 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released four new resources today with information for students, parents and families, and schools addressing civil rights of students with disabilities, as well as a data snapshot about education access for students with disabilities drawn from…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considering the possibility of loosening the five-day COVID-19 isolation guidance that many school systems have been using to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. According to K-12 Dive, the isolation guidance is under review by the CDC with the possibility of revising them…
On February 13, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced that it will reduce 2024 verification requirements for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to get applications to high school students as soon as possible. Citing the problematic release of the updated FAFSA form, the…
The US Department of Education (USDE) appears to be nearing finalization of proposed Title IX regulations revisions after previously being delayed twice. On February 2nd, the USDE submitted a Title IX proposed rule on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance to…
On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released new data that shows more than 3.1 million Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) forms have been successfully submitted since the 2024-25 redesigned application went live on December 30, 2023. The new data comes a little more…
Schools are responsible for ensuring students, families, and educators know how assistive technology (AT) works. In fact, students’ IEP teams must consider how it will be integrated with other therapies and interventions. If teams determine that a student needs assistive technology services, those supports must be stated in their IEP…
On January 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to school principals and district administrators across the country. The purpose of the DCL, signed by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, was "to emphasize a strategy where school principals and district administrators have a unique…
On January 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced $50 million in grants for states to connect millions more children to critical health care services, particularly for mental health, at school. Made possible by the historic…
It appears that the March deadline for the much-anticipated U.S Department of Education (USDE) final Title IX regulations banning sex-based discrimination - including sexual assault - in federally funded K-12 schools,will come and go without approval. The USDE had set a March deadline for the regulations but hasn’t yet cleared…
