U.S. House Releases 2025 Calendar
U.S. House Republicans have released the 2025 calendar. Here is the link: https://www.majorityleader.gov/house-legislative-calendar-2025/
Civil Rights Commission to Hold Listening Session
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a live streamed virtual listening session on December 13th from 1-2 PM ET on the commission’s YouTube channel with a goal to hear from educators, parents, students, and community members about improving access to education for students with disabilities. The commission is…
SCOTUS Hears Arguments on Teen Vaping Case
On Monday, December 2, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) heard oral arguments on whether the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had unlawfully rejected millions of flavored e-cigarettes for approved sale in U.S. over concerns about nicotine addiction among young people. Federal law requires sellers of new nicotine products to…
Rollins to lead USDA, Including School Nutrition Programs
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…
Linda McMahon Named to Head the USDE
On November 19th, President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon, who served as administrator of the Small Business Association for two years in his first administration, as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education. McMahon, is also a former president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a company that develops…
U.S. Houses Passes Bill to Mandate Oct. 1 FAFSA Release Date
On November 15, 2024 the U.S. House passed a bill by a vote of 381-1 that would require the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available by October 1st each year. The bill, named the FAFSA Deadline Act, would take effect…
Federal Briefing to Focus on Special Ed. Teacher Shortages
On November 15th, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will investigate the federal response to the shortage of qualified special educators and its impact on students with disabilities in a briefing in Washington, D.C. as it develops its Annual Statutory Enforcement Report to be completed in 2025. With a growing…
USDA to Eliminate School Meal ‘Junk Fees’ for Low-income Families
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…
School District Agrees to Improve Student Restraint Policies
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…
GAO Report Looked at Effectiveness of ESSER and Found a Need for More Time to Pass
According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released October, 23, 2024, school districts prioritized spending of COVID-19 emergency (ESSER) funds based on community input, financial need, state policies and other influences. It also found that the effectiveness of the ESSER money for COVID-19 recovery efforts is difficult to…