Policy & Legal

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    Districts face mask litigation despite drop in requirements

    Lawsuits in states like Montana and Iowa come despite a significant decrease in districts requiring masks since the start of the 2021-22 school year.

    By • Aug. 12, 2022
  • LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho speaks at a city council meeting in May.
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    Retrieved from LA City Clerk.

    Los Angeles prohibits homeless encampments near schools

    The controversy mirrors many that have cropped up around the nation over school safety concerns versus rights of people facing homelessness.

    By • Aug. 12, 2022
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    Trendline

    Equity in Education

    From early learning to high school, the pandemic impacted equity at all levels of K-12, from persistent and widening achievement gaps to uneven access to school meals.

    By K-12 Dive staff
  • Preschool teacher sitting with students on the floor.
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    kali9 via Getty Images

    CDC eases quarantine, test-to-stay guidance for schools

    Additionally, the agency now only recommends masking in communities with high levels of COVID-19 spread.

    By • Aug. 12, 2022
  • A person walks down a school hallway lined with lockers as another person sitting in a classroom can be seen through a window.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images

    Educators report rampant political harassment in last school year

    The RAND Corp. found 37% of teachers said they faced harassment over COVID-19 safety measures or teachings on race, racism or bias.

    By • Aug. 11, 2022
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    Michael Loccisano via Getty Images

    Number of districts receiving homeless student funding balloons sixfold

    A SchoolHouse Connection report shows pandemic aid led to a 611% overall increase in the number of districts receiving dedicated funding.

    By • Aug. 10, 2022
  • A group of students walk outside of a double set of doors in a school building.
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    Karen Ducey via Getty Images

    New Jersey schools must have threat assessment teams under new state law

    Other states and districts are also looking to improve school threat assessment procedures in efforts to prevent violence by students.

    By • Aug. 10, 2022
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    SolStock via Getty Images

    Ed Dept’s new charter rule challenged in Michigan lawsuit

    The lawsuit challenges the department’s plans for distributing charter funds, as well as its authority to create the grant rule in the first place.

    By • Aug. 10, 2022
  • Students wait to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas during a graduation ceremony at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Illinois.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    Higher NY high school graduation rate attributed to relaxed standards during pandemic

    The New York Equity Coalition found 70.9% of the class of 2021 received exemption from at least one graduation requirement.

    By • Aug. 10, 2022
  • Group of students eating lunch in school cafeteria.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    Efforts growing to help schools serve plant-based meals

    California recently approved a one-time fund of $100 million to help districts provide plant-based or restricted diet meals.

    By • Aug. 9, 2022
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    The image by U.S. Department of Education is licensed under CC BY 2.0

    Alabama district among first probed under LGBTQ Title IX guidance

    The case comes after the release of the Biden administration's interpretation of protections for LGBTQ students under the federal civil rights law.

    By • Aug. 9, 2022
  • A teacher sits alone at her desk in an empty classroom as she prepares for students to return to its nigh-forgotten desks following COVID-19 closures.
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    George Frey via Getty Images

    Hawaii finds poor air quality in 10% of classrooms

    Additionally, the state’s education department identified 73 rooms across seven schools with high levels of carbon dioxide.

    By • Aug. 8, 2022
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    Oklahoma invests $5M in online math tutoring program

    The initiative will pay college students $25 per hour in an effort to ease recruitment and retention concerns.

    By • Aug. 8, 2022
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    PrathanChorruangsak via Getty Images

    Meet 2 professors studying the faculty who teach critical race theory where it’s under fire

    Kaleb Briscoe and Veronica Jones Baldwin are also examining legislation targeting the academic construct that's become a political flashpoint.

    By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Aug. 8, 2022
  • California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond visits a school
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    Retrieved from California Department of Education.

    California plans to double school counselors amid shortage

    The increase would come at a time when mental health is considered fragile among the nation's youth.

    By • Aug. 5, 2022
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    Дмитрий Ларичев via Getty Images

    Groups seek more input on federal coordination for rural schools

    Issues having a major impact on rural schools include transportation, teacher recruitment and retention, and Wi-Fi access.

    By K-12 Dive staff • Aug. 4, 2022
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    5 best practices as schools brace for monkeypox

    School public health and communication experts say engaging the community, working to reduce stigma and having protocols ready are key.

    By • Updated Aug. 5, 2022
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    Governors commit to computer science, but accountability questions persist

    Only 51% of high schools offered computer science courses in 2021, and advocates say tracking states’ future actions can ensure access improves. 

    By • Aug. 3, 2022
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    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via Getty Images

    Biden’s proposed Title IX rule almost certain to find itself in legal crosshairs

    A recent federal court decision blocking Education Department guidance on the anti-discrimination law portends trouble for the administration.

    By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Aug. 2, 2022
  • Two middle school students walk down a school hallway next to a row of lockers, backs toward the camera.
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    FangXiaNuo via Getty Images

    Ed Dept prioritizes school mental health staff expansion in funding distribution

    The funding is the first of nearly $300 million in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the fiscal 2022 budget allocated to school mental health.

    By • Aug. 2, 2022
  • Student faces an eyesight chart on the wall while a person in a white lab coat uses a pointer to point to letters on the chart.
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    Motortion via Getty Images

    Anticipation grows for simpler school Medicaid reimbursement process

    Guidance for schools under the federal healthcare assistance program has not been significantly updated in nearly 20 years.

    By • Aug. 2, 2022
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    drnadig via Getty Images

    GOP: Title IX LGBTQ protections make schools ‘unsafe and unfair’

    The letter is among the latest pushback to the Ed Department’s LGBTQ protections and comes just days after a lawsuit targeting federal guidance.

    By • Aug. 1, 2022
  • Teacher welcoming a student with her mother back to school and wearing facemasks
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    School mask mandates continue to loosen

    Only 1.2% of 500 districts are requiring mask mandates going into the 2022-23 school year, according to data tracking company Burbio.

    By • Aug. 1, 2022
  • Tennessee state flag on a flagpole waving in the wind with a blue sky background.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images

    Pushback continues for school choice program in Tennessee

    Another injunction filed by local governments in the state’s two largest districts seeks to temporarily stop the voucher program two weeks before school starts.

    By • July 29, 2022
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    Rawf8 via Getty Images

    Senate Appropriations Committee proposes 13% increase for K-12 in FY23

    The spending plan includes $20.1 billion for Title I grants and $15.3 billion for special education grants, but the proposal is meeting partisan resistance.

    By • July 29, 2022
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    nito100 via Getty Images

    Republican AGs sue to stop USDA guidance on LGBTQ protections

    The lawsuit comes weeks after a federal judge temporarily halted the Ed Department’s enforcement of Title IX to protect gay and transgender students.

    By • July 29, 2022