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…
On March 18, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the District of Columbia Public Schools violated the civil rights of students with disabilities by denying timely evaluations, individualized placements and reliable transportation, according to results of a year-long investigation. OCR said the district…
As reported by K-12 Dive, amid funding challenges some state leaders draw attention to budgets and programs that support students with disabilities. In fact, special education initiatives were a priority for several governors in their annual state of state addresses — including in Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico and Pennsylvania —…
Although the recently passed fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget for the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) did not ban the outsourcing of certain education programs to other federal agencies, it strongly condemned and discouraged the transfer of key programs out of the USDE. The bicameral and bipartisan statement said that…
On February 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division announced the dismissal of a 60-year-old desegregation case in Tennessee’s Dyersburg City Schools, continuing the Trump administration’s efforts to end school desegregation orders. A DOJ press release said that the school district “no longer operates as a…
Narrowing federal and state policies are fueling uncertainty about life after graduation for “unauthorized” immigrant students in high school, according to a new analysis from the Migration Policy Institute. For instance, most of today’s high-schoolers cannot qualify for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which delays the deportation…
As reports of ICE on school grounds began to surface last spring, K-12 Dive asked DHS through a public records request to provide all instances of apprehensions on K-12 school grounds since the administration in January 2025 changed DHS policy to allow such enforcement. Before the policy change, schools, along…
The measles outbreak in South Carolina has been steadily increasing. As of January, 30, 2026, the state has confirmed 847 cases since the first case was reported in October 2025, making the outbreak bigger than the one in Texas, which started just over a year ago. Dr. Linda Bell, South…
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,…
As reported by K-12 Dive, on December 11, 2025 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced new allocations for its mental health grants, which it revoked from over 200 original recipients earlier this year. The new funds come after the agency controversially revoked up to $1 billion under the same…
