According to K-12 Dive, the Trump administration is escalating its crackdown on mental health screenings for students, stressing that the practice doesn’t comply with parental rights laws if school officials administer the screenings without first notifying parents and obtaining their written consent. In fact, on October 5, 2026 a warning…
Despite being seen by some as additional red tape, starting November 1, 2026, all U.S. Department of Education (USDE) grant recipients will be required to have written justification for drawing down pre-approved funding. , According to a September 28, 2026 agency memo. an additional step has been added to add…
According to guidance issued jointly on September 25, 2026 by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), K-12 schools can better prepare for and protect themselves from swatting incidents by developing procedures and training to identify and respond to false threats. Swatting is identified…
On September 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) formally rescinded 2024 Title IX regulations, which for the first time had incorporated LGBTQ+ protections for students and school employees. The agency’s move repeals the 2024 regulations, which had been stopped by the courts. USDE rescinded the 2024 rule, which provided…
According to a September 23, 2026 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, federal calculations for measuring student chronic absenteeism rates are unreliable and improbable. Specifically, the GAO took issue with how the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) counts enrolled students, which is based on a single day count on October…
When free school meals are no longer available to all students, teachers report an increase in student hunger and behavior issues that impact the ability to focus on learning, according to a study published this month by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The study analyzed teacher interviews conducted…
A federal judge ruled the Education Department directive and its cancellation of hundreds of millions in funds for teacher training programs was unlawful. As reported by K-12 Dive, on September 17, 2026 a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directive and its…
The American Psychological Association (APA) recommends that ed tech policies in school settings should not solely focus on screen time. Rather, policymakers should examine what students are doing on screens, what activities technology may be replacing, and whether it helps or hinders learning, APA said in a recent report. Other…
A September 14, 2026 filing as part of New York v. McMahon claims that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is withholding over 1,000 documents related to how the reductions-in-force (RIFs) of employees were planned and carried out. Led by New York, more than 20 states and the District of…
On September 11, 2026, it was announced that a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two governors, a settlement was reached that stops the Trump Administration from dismantling AmeriCorps without warning in the future. The deal resolves a lawsuit brought by the multi-state coalition in response to the Trump Administration’s…
