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…
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…
College Board Broadens Offerings, Begins CTE Programming
College Board is broadening its offerings to include AP-equivalent career courses. In fact, during the 2024-25 school year the Career Kickstart program is the start of College Board expanding into career and technical education with courses that allow high school students nationwide to take career-oriented AP-equivalent courses with lessons that…
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…
NYSDE to Replace Grad Exam
The New York State Department of Education (NYSDE) plans to replace its graduation exam requirement with a new framework by the 2027-28 school year. The exam will be replaced by a “portrait of a graduate,” a more holistic approach to assess graduation and workforce readiness. The shift will include broadening…
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…
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…
CDC: A Decline in Routine Vaccinations and Increase Exemption Rates can Lead to Outbreaks
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.%…