On May 4, 2026 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) published notice in the Federal Register and asked for clearance from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to begin its work on a national study of special education spending. The $5.6 million National Study of Special Education…
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…
On April 30, 2026 a bill that would ban artificial intelligence companions from interacting with children and teens received unanimous approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee and now awaits Senate floor action. The Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act (GUARD Act), would also require age verification for all…
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…
As reported by K-12 Dive, a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) on April 13, 2026 will continue to push for artificial intelligence use in classrooms through newly finalized priorities and definitions for school districts and colleges applying for any of the agency’s discretionary grant programs.…
