A March 2024 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey of 1,683 U.S. public schools shows that staffing needs and a lack of funding are making it difficult for schools to provide mental health supports for students. In fact, 48% of schools report that they can effectively provide mental health…
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…
According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), school-based support and increased understanding are essential when a student experiences the death of a friend or loved one. While each student will be affected differently depending on his or her developmental level, cultural beliefs, personal characteristics, family situation, and previous…
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…
Sometimes referred to as reparative therapy, sexuality counseling, or sexual orientation/gender identity change efforts, conversion therapy refers to any practice that seeks or purports to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The Trevor Project – a national organization devoted to ending suicide among LGBTQ+ young people stated earlier…
Predictably, attorneys general from six Republican-leaning states (i.e., Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) filed suit on April 20, 2024 against the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) over its new Title IX rule, which was released on April 19, 2024. The lawsuit comes on the heels of three…
With the April 19, 2024 release of the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) final Title IX rule enshrining protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, conservative state leaders, claiming the rule infringes on their state laws, are directing their school districts to disregard the rule. In fact, thus far at least five states…
On April 25, 2024, seventeen states filed suit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas requesting a stay and preliminary injunction of the agency’s recently promulgated final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act alleging that its abortion accommodation…
According to a K-12 Dive report, about 13% of students with disabilities participating in special education services in 2022-23 had autism. That’s an increase from 5% in 2008-09. The percentage of students identified with autism receiving K-12 special education services has been on a steady rise over the last decade…
