Policy & Legal: Page 61

  • Teacher welcoming a student with her mother back to school and wearing facemasks
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    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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    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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    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
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    Rawf8 via Getty Images
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    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
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    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
  • A student's hand is shown lifting an individually bagged lunch from a cafeteria table during pandemic-era distribution and distancing protocols as students returned to schools.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    House committee advances child nutrition reauthorization bill

    The bill would expand access to free meals for students, address school meal debt shaming and help with ending child hunger during summer months.

    By • July 28, 2022
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    Kuzma via Getty Images
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    Federal judge: Tax-exempt private schools subject to Title IX

    The ruling falls in line with a 1983 Supreme Court decision that found such tax exemptions amount to “a form of subsidy” equal to a cash grant.

    By • July 28, 2022
  • A toy yellow school bus sits on top of a fanned stack of $100 bills against a white background.
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    Lumineux_Images via Getty Images
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    Groups seek more guidance on 18-month extension for ESSER spending

    School administration organizations are asking for a streamlined approach to requests for spending extensions.

    By • July 28, 2022
  • Cafeteria worker helping elementary students select food in lunch line
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    As supply chain woes persist for school meals, districts get creative

    Some districts are leasing warehouse space to store items for meal programs as they navigate shortages, according to a report by school nutrition advocates.

    By • July 27, 2022
  • Adult sits a small table with younger students in a classroom and listens to one student talk.
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    SolStock via Getty Images
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    Law leaves little wiggle room for loosening special ed teacher requirements

    A federal law requires special educators to have a bachelor's degree and meet certain standards if not fully certified.

    By • July 27, 2022
  • Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona answers questions during the daily briefing at the White House August 5, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    OCR: Discrimination complaints involving K-12 total over 5,200 in fiscal 2021

    The Education Department’s civil rights arm received more than 8,900 complaints in total, according to a newly released report.

    By • July 26, 2022
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    School COVID-19 mitigation strategies mixed as experts expect new wave of infections in fall

    A small number of districts are beginning to reinstate face mask requirements for the new school year as omicron subvariant BA.5 picks up.

    By • July 26, 2022
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    Ed Dept inspector general finds GEER misspending in Oklahoma

    The state’s COO said corrective steps already taken include hiring of grant management execs and development of rubric for grant decision-making.

    By K-12 Dive staff • July 25, 2022
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    iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    Florida to let veterans teach without bachelor’s degree

    While the plan is designed to address shortages, some ed leaders say the temporary certification undermines teacher quality standards.

    By , • July 22, 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
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    As states tackle teacher shortages, which plans show the most promise?

    Local and regional nuances mean there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the problem, but some solutions are better suited to those challenges than others.

    By • July 22, 2022
  • Drawings on a black chalkboard show a man, a woman and a gender-neutral silhouettes drawn in white chalk. The drawings are above text that reads "Gender Neutral."
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    Warchi via Getty Images
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    Some districts are constructing gender-neutral school bathrooms amid national debate

    A Maine school district is using federal relief funds for bathroom construction, while a California district put plans for a new all-gender locker room on hold.

    By • July 22, 2022
  • A red-haired child in a green shirt sits alone in a socially distanced school cafeteria, putting her mask back on as she finishes lunch.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    Child nutrition reauthorization plan calls for expanding free meal access

    The House Education and Labor Committee’s Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act includes provisions for summer food insecurity, meal debts and operations.

    By • July 21, 2022
  • A U.S. flag hangs in the foreground of a classroom that sits empty with five visible, forlorn desks touched only by cascading rays of sunlight cutting through the dim room.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Educator job dissatisfaction spikes to 79% in AFT survey

    Respondents cited workload, compensation, work conditions, disruptions and lack of support as factors influencing their negative sentiment.

    By • July 20, 2022
  • A 3rd grade boy raises his hand as a teacher explains a grammar lesson on a projection screen.
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    Confidence in public schools sees sharp decline among Republicans

    The stark contrast along party lines comes amid high polarization over critical race theory, LGBTQ issues and COVID-19 precautions.

    By K-12 Dive staff • July 19, 2022
  • Young student sits in front of lockers inside a school building with head in hands.
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    Inside Creative House via Getty Images
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    Ed Dept urges discipline bias protections for students with disabilities

    Schools shouldn't have to choose between protecting students' rights and responding to safety concerns, Ed Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

    By • July 19, 2022
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    BCFC via Getty Images
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    Tennessee judge temporarily blocks Biden administration transgender guidance

    The injunction argues the guidance makes it impossible for some states to enforce their laws around sports participation and restroom access.

    By K-12 Dive staff • July 18, 2022
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    South_agency via Getty Images
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    56% of K-12 schools worldwide report ransomware attacks in past year

    Among respondents in a Sophos survey, 47% reported an increase in volume of cyberattacks and 50% saw an increase in complexity.

    By • July 15, 2022
  • Darrell Sampson and Gavin Grimm pose together at the American School Counselor Association conference
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    Permission granted by Darrell Sampson
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    ASCA ‘22: How to support transgender elementary school students

    Young transgender students often experience exhaustion, tokenism and discrimination in school, said a counselor administrator and researcher.

    By • July 14, 2022
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    Permission granted by Williamsport Area School District
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    Ed Dept encourages year-round enrichment programming with Engage Every Student Initiative

    The announcement comes a week after a similar push from the White House and after a report found districts may be winding down summer programs. 

    By • July 14, 2022
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    3 best practices for implementing school safety tip lines

    As more state and district leaders look to fund tip lines, school safety experts recommend increasing communication and access to these tools.

    By • July 14, 2022
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    Report: Ed funding needs automatic stabilization in economic downturns

    The current funding system has inadequacies and inequities, as well as too much reliance on state and local revenues, EPI says.  

    By K-12 Dive staff • July 14, 2022