On February 9, 2026. leading U.S. health official Dr. Mehmet Oz urged people to get inoculated against the measles as outbreaks across several states mount and the U.S. is at risk of losing its measles elimination status. Despite misinformation creating suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines from his…
New federal accessibility rules for web content and mobile apps will start being enforced as early as this April, but recent survey results from the National School Public Relations Association and Sogolytics show many school districts will not be ready to comply. In fact, only 14% of respondents say their…
According to a tracker from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), the high school class of 2026 has completed a collective 1.6 million federal student aid applications for higher education for the 2026-27 school year as of January 23, 2026, or about 52% more than the class of 2025 by…
As reports of ICE on school grounds began to surface last spring, K-12 Dive asked DHS through a public records request to provide all instances of apprehensions on K-12 school grounds since the administration in January 2025 changed DHS policy to allow such enforcement. Before the policy change, schools, along…
According to a February 2, 2026 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) spent nearly $1 million per week on salaries for Office of Civil Rights (OCR) enforcement staff it had put on administrative leave beginning in March 2025, paying up to $38 million in total…
On February 2, 2026 the FY26 education funding bill was finally signed into law. As a result, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is now funded for fiscal year 2026. The compromise measure won final approval from the U.S. House by a 217-214 vote. The budget funds the USDE at…
The measles outbreak in South Carolina has been steadily increasing. As of January, 30, 2026, the state has confirmed 847 cases since the first case was reported in October 2025, making the outbreak bigger than the one in Texas, which started just over a year ago. Dr. Linda Bell, South…
Parents and advocates are expressing concern over the possibility of being confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that are unfamiliar with their circumstances and lack training necessary to help them deal with children with disabilities. The families of disabled children, who already fear their kids shutting down, running…
On January 21, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) signed a joint motion to dismiss an appeal in a lawsuit that sought to allow it to move ahead with its anti-DEI policy. In abandoning its appeal, the agency signaled that it’s effectively stepping back from trying to enforce the policy. In…
On January 14, 2026, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was signed into law. The bipartisan legislation permits schools to provide whole milk and nondairy beverage options in federally subsidized school meals. School districts are currently permitted to only serve fat-free and low-fat milks in school meals…
