The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rule for updating school nutrition standards is set to go into effect on July 1st. The USDA’s approved changes include new limits on added sugars and sodium in school meals, which are the largest driving costs in the rule. In fact, since the finalized…
A Rand Corporation report has shown that teacher compensation falls short by an average of $18,000 in base pay when compared to other professionals and a June 20, 2024 Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing saw Republican and Democratic senators agreeing that improving teacher pay is a bipartisan…
Today, June 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released three new resources with information for students, parents and families, and schools addressing the civil rights of students with sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer. OCR issued these resources during a month that marks…
According to the US Department of Education's (USDE) Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) "exacerbated and contributed to the harm to students with disabilities" when it gave school districts pandemic-era guidance regarding compensatory services that was inconsistent with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of…
According to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, the long-awaited Title IX athletics final rule is being delayed due to the high volume of feedback received during the public comment period. Recently, a broader Title IX rule was released to protect victims of sexual violence. That broader proposal was submitted…
K-12 Dive reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a group of summer nutrition services for children known as the SUN Programs as part of an effort to combat food insecurity and malnutrition among students when they are typically out of school. In the first year of…
On Wednesday, May 22nd, in conjunction with the Every Day Counts Summit in Washington, DC, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) provided resources to increase attendance and engagement, and to help schools find the root causes of chronic absenteeism and explore interventions. Click here access the resources from the National…
Because of the difficulties with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, West Virginia’s high school FAFSA completion rate is down almost 40%, compelling West Virginia Governor Jim Justice to declare a state of emergency. As a result, the governor has temporarily suspended a requirement for high…
During a May 7th House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona requested a 16% increase in funding to allow the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to add more staff to expediently resolve Title VI civil rights complaints it receives. In fact, as the civil…
On April 8, 2024, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a federal rule to ensure web content and mobile apps are accessible for people with disabilities. The update to regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were subsequently published on April 24th by the U.S. Department…
