According to survey data collected by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDE), during the 2024-25 school year there were 7,907 written state complaints and that number rose to 11,523 in the 2025-26 school year. The 46% jump in the…
As cases climb higher than they’ve been in decades, health experts including several national, state, and local organizations and health departments are providing are providing guidance regarding best practices and recommendations for schools. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a checklist for how K-12 schools…
As reported by CBS News, a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia is suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, accusing the Trump administration of withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster-preparedness and homeland security grants to force states…
On July 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) issued a Dear Colleague letter to states and school districts reminding them of their responsibilities to protect students rather than engage in the practice, which it called “a troubling and recurring pattern in schools” nationwide. In addition, on the same…
According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released July 2, 2026, between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years 42 states and the District of Columbia increased the share of students with disabilities in general education classes. The number of students with disabilities spending some of their school day…
As reported by K-12 Dive, according to a summary of state determinations issued June 18, 2026 by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) more than half of U.S. states and territories did not meet annual targets for implementing federal special education services for students with disabilities ages 3-21. The recent…
According to a May 27, 2026 report by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), 74% of school districts are concerned about the effect on school meals from looming federal budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid. In fact, according to FRAC, children are set to lose…
As reported by The 74, the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) is among the 17 funding sources that the Trump administration wants to roll into a $2 billion block grant. Congress approved $220 million for REAP this year, but under the president’s plan, governors and state education chiefs would decide…
The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) professional degree definition is now being challenged in court as 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the USDE on May 19, 2026 for excluding graduate nursing and other major fields, including education. The plaintiffs, led by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, said…
According to a May 20, 2026 announcement from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), Louisiana became the second state to receive a federal waiver from certain K-12 funding requirements, allowing the state to consolidate funding streams. Louisiana’s waiver is similar to the one approved in January 2026 for Iowa. The…
