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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
