Policy & Legal: Page 2


  • A police officer walks a dog in front of steps of columned building with scaffolding on it.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Supreme Court won’t hear football prayer loudspeaker case

    Its rejection comes on the heels of another case in 2022 that allowed school staff to engage in prayer with students in some situations.

    By Nov. 19, 2025
  • President Donald Trump stands next to Linda McMahon while holding the executive order in the White House.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Education Department outsources program management to other agencies

    The interagency agreements will shift management of six of the department’s programs, including elementary and secondary education, to other agencies.

    By Updated Nov. 18, 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
  • an exterior shot of the capitol building at night
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kayla Bartkowski / Staff via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Week In Review: Education Department activities resume

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from special education concerns to enrollment woes.

    By Nov. 17, 2025
  • A student and adult sit at a table. The student is touching a tablet on the table
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Special educator shortages demand tailored solutions, study says

    Researchers find that state and local policies need to target not only attrition but also the reasons behind turnover.

    By Lara Ewen • Updated Nov. 18, 2025
  • The outside of a building is seen and there are flags on poles in front of the building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    4nadia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lessons learned from Arizona’s universal school choice program

    The state’s universal private school choice program grew 633% between 2021-22 and 2024-25, equaling about 7% of the state’s school population last year.

    By Nov. 17, 2025
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

    Image attribution tooltip
    POP QUIZ

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

    From enrollment-based decision-making to AI literacy, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By Nov. 14, 2025
  • A person is sitting at a desk signing a piece of paper. Other people are standing gathered around the desk and clapping
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Education Department resumes operations after prolonged shutdown

    The temporary budget deal funds the Education Department through Jan. 30, 2026, and requires the reinstatement of RIFed employees.

    By Nov. 13, 2025
  • A group of people around President Donald Trump, who holds up a signed bill.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    SNAP funding restored through next September

    The funding bill President Donald Trump signed Wednesday includes $107.5 billion for SNAP and $8.2 billion for WIC.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Nov. 13, 2025
  • Two students are sitting next to each other at a desk in a classroom and are looking at a tablet
    Image attribution tooltip
    monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Where the federal school choice program stands

    The U.S. Department of Treasury is expected to issue proposed rules early next year detailing how the program will operate and how states can opt in.

    By Nov. 13, 2025
  • An illustration of a student looking into an empty outline of a teacher in a classroom.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Illustration: Cathryn Virginia for Industry Dive

    Image attribution tooltip
    STAFFED UP

    Will Trump policies exacerbate the special education teacher shortage?

    Special education and teacher preparation experts warn that federal efforts to shrink the Education Department put the special educator pipeline at risk.

    By Nov. 13, 2025
  • A stack of papers sits on a desk. Several pages are clipped together with colorful clips. A bookshelf with binders can be seen in the background
    Image attribution tooltip
    bymuratdeniz via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • The Department of Agriculture (USDA) building in Washington DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • An adult is shown shaking hands with another adult while a student carrying a backpack is seen standing to the side. The hands are predominate in the photo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • The Department of Agriculture (USDA) building in Washington DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A sunset lowers behind the Indianapolis skyline of tall buildings.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Rows of empty chairs and desks sit in front of a blank chalkboard in a school classroom.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A person inserts an early election ballot envelope into a ballot drop box in Jefferson County, Colorado.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Merrimon via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Two people are standing side by side and shaking hands inside a room.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Students are sitting at desks in a classroom. An adult is standing.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Wylde Aura Photo Co.
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Graphic with the title 'Healthy Minds, Bright Futures: How to Navigate Mental Health & Build Support' on a light purple background. Logos for Pearson and K-12 Dive appear at the bottom.
    Image attribution tooltip
    William Walker/K-12 Dive
    Image attribution tooltip
    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. 13, 2025
  • An adult is sitting at a small table with young students in a classroom. The adult is making a motion with their hands and the students are watching. Paintings of faces are on the back wall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    SolStock via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • he U.S. flag and Department of Education flags whip in the wind outside the department's headquarters
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A child and parent are holding hands while walking down an aisle of a grocery store. The parent has a shopping basket.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Portra via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

    Image attribution tooltip
    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