Policy & Legal: Page 73

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    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 • Aug. 8, 2022
  • California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond visits a school
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    Retrieved from California Department of Education.
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    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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    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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    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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    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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    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
  • President Joe Biden stands at a podium under a painting of Abraham Lincoln
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    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 • Aug. 2, 2022
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    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
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    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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    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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    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
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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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    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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    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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    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
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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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    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
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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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    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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    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