Assistive technology (AT) in schools can run the gamut of low-tech tools like pencil grips and swivel chairs to high-tech ones like large mobile touch screens and voice recognition software. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires a student’s individualized education program (IEP) team to consider AT use, at…
Identical U.S. House and Senate legislation is drawing bipartisan support for attempts to modernize identifications for children with reading challenges, although some disability rights advocacy groups and education organizations caution the move could put struggling readers further behind. Specifically, the 21st Century Dyslexia Act proposes that IDEA definition of a…
Parents and advocates are expressing concern over the possibility of being confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that are unfamiliar with their circumstances and lack training necessary to help them deal with children with disabilities. The families of disabled children, who already fear their kids shutting down, running…
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…
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…
On December 12, 2025, bicameral and bipartisan legislation was filed in the House and Senate prohibiting the seclusion of students in schools and certain restraint practices would be banned. The Keeping All Students Safe Act bill would also provide grants to states to train school personnel to on how to…
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…
On December 10, 2025, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), along with all HELP Committee Democrats, called on Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to hold an immediate oversight hearing with Education Secretary Linda McMahon regarding the illegal transfer of dozens…
As a result of a November 18, 2025 announcement by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) that said it was developing interagency agreements with other federal agencies to support six programs, an amended lawsuit was filed on December 2, 2025 claiming that the USDE’s plans are illegal and harmful to…
