On Thursday, November 16, 2023, President Biden signed a two-tiered stopgap spending measure that avoids a government shutdown and keeps some agencies funded into January and others, including education, through February 2. Late Wednesday, November 15th, the U.S. Senate approved the Continuing Resolution (CR) in an 87-11 vote, sending it to…
On November 13, 2023, Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hosted a roundtable with educators and advocates to seek answers to the national epidemic of shootings. The roundtable took place as this year’s number of school shootings across the nation set a record high. Four key takeaways from…
On November 9, 2023, Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia introduced a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate that proposes a study led by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) on the effects that cell phone use in K-12 classrooms has on students’ mental health and academic performance. The…
In their latest attempt to block controversial TItle IX proposed rules, House Republicans have attached a provision to the U.S. Education Department (USDE) FY2024 appropriations bill, The provision would block the agency from using its funding to implement protections for LGBTQ+ students. The bill calls would also prohibit any of…
On October 19, 2023, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) introduced legislation to prepare principals, superintendents, and other school leaders to facilitate high-quality early childhood education programs in school districts. The Creating Early Childhood Leaders Act would provide school leaders with the tools and training to support…
On September 21, 2023 a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House that would encourage schools and their community partners to teach students about the dangers of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. The Fentanyl Awareness for Children and Teens in Schools (FACTS) Act would also create a federal task force…
Title I funding for schools educating students from low-income families would face a severe 80% cut under a proposal for fiscal year 2024 by the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee. On July 13, 2023, Republicans on the committee said in a statement that the decrease is justified because of unspent federal…
During the week of July 10th, special education professionals visited congressional offices in Washington, D.C. to advocate for more funding to support services for students with disabilities, address special educator shortages, and build positive school climates. The visits to Capitol Hill were part of the annual Special Education Legislative Summit…
During the week of July 10, 2023 Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Jared Huffman plan to re-introduce the IDEA Full Funding Act. As a member of NASISP, NAPSA is endorsing the Act via a joint letter that will be sent to both chambers of Congress. The only changes from…
On May 18, 2023, Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Sean Casten (D-IL) teamed up to introduce the Safe Interactions Act – a bipartisan bill to improve interactions between law enforcement officers and people with disabilities and mental health needs. This legislation will provide enhanced trainings to our…
