Policy & Legal


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    Advocates ask to keep data collection for special education racial disparities

    The Education Department wants to ease state data collection burdens. Critics say the change would limit transparency and harm equity efforts.

    By Nov. 12, 2025
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    USDA reverses course on SNAP

    The agency that runs the food aid program said Saturday that states are not authorized to load full November benefits for the food aid program.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Nov. 10, 2025
  • Trendline

    Top 5 stories from K-12 Dive

    K-12 Dive has gathered some a selection of our best coverage from 2025 so far as a one-stop resource on the trends to watch in the months ahead.

    By K-12 Dive staff
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    Week In Review: Special education debates ramp up

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from enrollment trends to Colorado’s support for universal meals.

    By Nov. 10, 2025
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    USDA will fully cover SNAP benefits for November

    The Department of Agriculture said Friday it has started issuing funds to states in order to comply with a Rhode Island court order.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Updated Nov. 7, 2025
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    Indiana AG sues Indianapolis Public Schools for hindering ICE efforts

    The Indianapolis Public Schools Board of School Commissioners framed the lawsuit against the district as “silly” and “political posturing.”

    By Nov. 7, 2025
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From superintendent turnover rates to the number of teachers using AI for special education, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By Nov. 7, 2025
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    States, districts grapple with declining enrollment

    We’re rounding up the numbers — and what school leaders are facing — in a handful of states and districts.

    By Nov. 7, 2025
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    Why shifting special ed oversight could be ‘a public education crisis’

    Though there's still no official plan to transfer the duties out of the Education Department, advocates are voicing concerns against such a move.

    By Nov. 6, 2025
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    Colorado voters raise taxes on wealthy to continue universal school meals

    If two referendums on funding for the program had not passed, only qualifying low-income students would have received free meals in 2026.

    By Nov. 6, 2025
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    Permission granted by Wylde Aura Photo Co.
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    Deep Dive

    ‘A case of life or death’: Behind the Trump administration’s revoked mental health grants

    A student suicide shook a rural county. The Trump administration pulled funds that could help prevent it from happening again.

    By Nov. 5, 2025
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    Sponsored by Pearson

    [Podcast] Healthy Minds, Bright Futures: How to Navigate Mental Health & Build Support

    This podcast explores how clinicians and educators can better support children’s mental health through evidence-based strategies and tools.

    By K-12 Dive's studioID • Updated Nov. 7, 2025
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    Deep Dive

    Special education at a crossroads: What should the federal role be?

    Major moves by the Trump administration have some debating, and others defending, the federal oversight system that supports students with disabilities.

    By Nov. 3, 2025
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    Week in Review: The government shutdown’s ripple effects on schools

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from audits and lawsuits after a former Iowa superintendent’s ICE arrest to new limits on AI companions for minors.

    By Nov. 3, 2025
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    Portra via Getty Images
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    Two judges halt Trump administration’s suspension of SNAP benefits

    A Rhode Island judge granted a temporary restraining order against the federal government while a Massachusetts judge ordered the USDA to fund the food nutrition program during the government shutdown.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Oct. 31, 2025
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    Illustration: Cathryn Virginia for Industry Dive

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    STAFFED UP

    Tense board relationships fuel high superintendent turnover

    Nearly a quarter of the 500 largest districts got a new superintendent in the past year, according to data from ILO Group.

    By Oct. 31, 2025
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From a judge’s order to reinstate Education Department grants to calls for virtual schooling amid ICE raids, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By Oct. 31, 2025
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    Schools brace for SNAP benefits lapse

    With the nation's largest federal food assistance program likely expiring Nov. 1, school systems are looking for ways to best support low-income families and children.

    By Oct. 30, 2025
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    Character.AI to ban teens from chatting with its AI companions

    The company’s change comes after experts have warned that AI social companion apps are dangerous for students’ mental well-being.

    By Oct. 29, 2025
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    California’s K-12 facility funding system unconstitutional, students, parents say in lawsuit

    As in complaints filed in other states, plaintiffs want the state to stop relying on local bond issues to trigger the release of matching funds to pay for unmet needs.

    By Robert Freedman • Oct. 29, 2025
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    Education Department ordered to reinstate mental health grants

    A school psychologists organization said the ruling is a "win" for families and educators. The department says it will appeal.

    By Oct. 28, 2025
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    Students express hope — and fear — over classroom AI use

    Students said in a Project Tomorrow survey that they’re optimistic about the potential benefits of AI in their learning, but more school guidance is needed.

    By Oct. 28, 2025
  • Audits, lawsuit ensue after ICE arrest of Iowa superintendent

    The flurry of activity includes a review of the state's licensing and background check procedures, as well as an audit of Iowa's Des Moines Public Schools.

    By Oct. 27, 2025
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    Week In Review: Districts feel the impacts of federal policy shifts

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a post-COVID decline in students taking the SAT and ACT to a potential federal shakeup for special education programs.

    By Oct. 27, 2025
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    Educators push for virtual schooling in response to ICE raids

    Chicago joins New York and Los Angeles districts in exploring remote options to ensure students and parents are safe amid the federal immigration crackdown.

    By Oct. 24, 2025
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From trends in education degrees to the PowerSchool hacker’s sentencing, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By Oct. 24, 2025