On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the USDE saying that doing so will "ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the…
On November 6, 2025, six U.S. Senators introduced the Securing Assurance for Federal Employees (SAFE) Act, legislation to explicitly prohibit the federal government from carrying out reductions in force (RIFs) during a lapse in appropriations. The bill would also reverse RIF actions taken during the current government shutdown. The SAFE…
In canceling funding for mental health grants, the Trump administration effectively ended programming for schools that were approved for such funding. At least $1 billion was lost in the cancellation of U.S. Department of Education mental health and professional demonstration grants across schools, districts, consortia and universities nationwide. Click here…
According to a white paper from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), teachers are increasingly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support students with disabilities in ways that save time for educators and provide best practices for interventions and clear communication for students and parents. In fact, almost…
As reported by K-12 Dive, special education and disability rights advocates are strongly defending the federal role in the education of students with disabilities as their concerns grow over a potential shift in how our country conducts special education oversight and support. Although there is still no official plan from…
On October 27, 2025, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to reinstate, for now, canceled federal grants for student mental health services due to “numerous irreparable harms flowing from the discontinuation decisions." In June 2025, 16 states sued the USDE in after the Trump administration in…
On October 23, 2025, NAPSA signed on to a letter sent to U.S. Senators Cassidy and Sanders claiming that through Reduction in Force (RIF) actions and incentives to exit the federal workforce, U.S. Secretary of Education McMahon has broken "longstanding precedent around the Department’s statutorily required duties to provide fiscal…
Abe Saffer, Federal Affairs 10/24/2025 Recent policy discussions from the administration and other policymakers have proposed transferring the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from the Department of Education (ED) to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Here are eight reasons the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) believes…
As rumors swirled that special education programs could soon be leaving their longtime home at the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), a spokesperson has confirmed the USDE is “exploring additional partnerships” with other federal agencies to support this programming. Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications, in an email to…
NAPSA Joins a Broad Coalition Across the Nation and States Calling Upon the Administration and Congress to Protect Children with Disabilities, Reverse Layoffs, and Uphold Access to Key Educational Services October 22, 2025 Washington, D.C. – A broad coalition of national, state, and local disability, civil rights, and education organizations…
