On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched investigations into 36 Illinois school districts in one of the agency’s largest efforts to investigate school districts under the Trump administration. The investigations are meant to determine if school districts ”included sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content in…
The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached resolution agreements with schools and colleges in only 1% of pending cases in 2025, the lowest percentage from any OCR in over the last decade, according to a recent report from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The report…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to restart a suicide prevention hotline specialized for LGBTQ+ youth less than a year after President Donald Trump’s administration discontinued it. The LGBTQ+ hotline is also known as the “Press 3 Option” within the broader 988 Lifeline. The 988…
On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released final regulations excluding graduate education programs from its definition of “professional degrees,” making them ineligible for higher federal student loan caps. Consequently, borrowing for these programs will be capped at $100,000, as opposed to the $200,000 cap that is…
K-12 schools and colleges will get another year to comply with looming deadlines for a new web accessibility rule, under an interim final rule issued April 20, 2026 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). For K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions in counties or cities with populations of 50,000 or…
Despite a proposed $539 million dollar increase over the FY 2026 budget, special education administrative organizations and disability rights advocacy groups say the federal spending plan zero funds and consolidates several programs for FY 2027, similar to the administration’s FY 26 proposal. Those changes would make states less accountable for…
Educators, industry groups and Democratic leaders say a federal proposal restricting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility would harm student success initiatives, impose vague guidelines for educators and violate federal law. The comments came in public feedback on a proposed regulation from the General Services Administration (GSA) that would require all…
On April 3, 2026, the White House released a FY 2027 budget proposal that would eliminate Equity Assistance Centers and teacher quality grants for DEI ties. It would also cut the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which is tasked with protecting students from discrimination in…
On April 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education announced some of the first elementary and secondary grant competitions under its new partnership with the Department of Labor. The partnership announced in November offloaded certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act education programs, including programming for low-income school districts, homeless youth,…
President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 (FY 2027) budget request, released April 3, 2026, includes $8.5 billion in eliminations and consolidations for selected K-12 programs. It would also legislate the transfer of some responsibilities out of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). “The Budget puts the Department of Education (USDE),…
