The number of school shootings continued its downward trend in 2025 with a recorded 233 incidents, which is the lowest number since 2020, when 116 school shootings took place at elementary and secondary private and public schools, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. Additionally, the number of shooting victims…
In response to a letter from a coalition that includes AASA, The School Superintendents Association, The Consortium for School Networking and national teacher’s unions including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing on January 15, 2026…
As reported by K-12 Dive, Character.AI and Google have agreed to mediate a settlement with the mother of a 14-year-old who died by suicide after interacting with Character.AI’s artificial intelligence companion. In an October 2024 wrongful death lawsuit against the tech companies the child's mother alleged Character.AI was negligent in…
On January 13, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) heard arguments concerning laws in West Virginia and Idaho that bar transgender students from participating in girls' or women's sports. In previous lower court rulings, lower court injunctions allowed an athlete form each state to continue to compete in sports. However,…
To limit reliance on ultra-processed foods in school meals, a majority of school nutrition directors report needing additional resources that include funding, menu development, culinary training, staffing, and equipment and infrastructure, according to survey data released on January 6, 2026 by the School Nutrition Association (SNA). The survey was conducted…
On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced that Iowa became the first state approved for a waiver for certain federal education regulations that will allow the state to have greater decision-making in academic programming and fiscal management. The waiver allows the Iowa Department of Education to…
In a drastic and unprecedented decision that was made in response to a directive from President Donald Trump, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will now universally recommend 11 vaccines instead of the previous 17, a move that the Department for Health and Human Services said would better…
Food insecurity among households with children slightly rose between 2023 and 2024, according to recently released data from an annual report on household food security released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the report, in 2024 14.1 million children lived in households experiencing food insecurity. That is…
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated several multimillion-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) following the association’s criticisms of the policies of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. The funding cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders…
A December 19, 2025 federal judge ruling ordered the permanent reinstatement of U.S. Department of Education (USDE) mental health grants in 16 states. According to the ruling in State of Washington v. U.S. Department of Education, the April 2025 cancellation of the school-based and professional development funding was unlawful. At…
