In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) ruled to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. In that case, the Court’s decision said a person’s identification as “transgender” is distinct from their “biological sex.” It did not touch on whether discrimination against transgender people amounts to sex-based discrimination. However,…
A federal judge is standing by his June 2025 decision requiring the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to restore its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) “to the status-quo” so that it can “carry out its statutory functions.” The order, which prevents the USDE from laying off OCR employees, comes despite…
On July 25, 2025 the Trump administration signed on to a court-approved agreement temporarily pausing enforcement of recent policy changes that restrict some education-related federal programs (i.e., Head Start, dual enrollment, adult education, and CTE) based on students’ immigration or citizenship status. The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court for…
On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with laying off nearly half of the staff at the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The decision in New York v. McMahon enables the USDE’s reduction in force (RIF) initiated in March as the original question…
As reported by K-12 Dive, on June 27, 2025, in a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) ruled that schools must allow parents to opt their children out of curriculum based on religious objections in some scenarios. The decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor signifies a win for parents in…
In a June 27, 2025 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) preserved E-rate’s funding mechanism in a 6-3 opinion. The decision preserved the multibillion-dollar federal internet discount program for schools and libraries and means schools can continue to apply for the program’s funding. The ruling in FCC v. Consumers’ Research…
A DHS spokesperson recently clarified to K-12 Dive that immigration enforcement activity in schools should be “extremely rare” and would first require “secondary supervisor approval.” The DHS comment was in response to a lawsuit dismissed this month and filed originally in February by Denver Public Schools over DHS’ policy memo…
On June 18, 2025, a U.S. District Judge ordered the U.S Department of Education (USDE) to reinstate all laid-off Office for Civil Rights employees for now, saying the layoffs and shuttering of seven regional offices had rendered the remaining staff “incapable of addressing the vast majority of OCR complaints.” The…
In a June 12, 2025 opinion in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School Dist. No. 279, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) undid a decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that required students with disabilities to meet a higher legal standard compared to disability cases outside of…
According to K-12 Dive, on June 6, 2025 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) for an immediate pause on a court order that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) reinstate nearly 1,400 employees fired during a mass workforce reduction in March. The DOJ’s appeal…
