Federal Legislation & News
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WI: Vos says he’s open to boosting special education funding as part of plan to spend budget surplus
State Affairs Pro Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Assembly Democrats’ $1.3 billion proposal to spend down the state’s surplus “wasn’t serious,” but he was “open to” spending more on special education. Democrats on Monday proposed to increase general school aid by...
ED Finds DC Public Schools Violates Rights of Students with Disabilities
In a public announcement last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found that the District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS) has extensively violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II...
Bipartisan Briefing Highlights Impacts of Federal Investments on Childcare
The First Five Years Fund, in partnership with the House Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus, convened the “ABCs of Federal Early Learning and Child Care” briefing on March 17th. House Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Rep. Susan Bonamici (D-OR),...
Reading Bill Receives Bipartisan Support From House Education Committee
The Science of Reading Act of 2026 (H.R. 7890), authored by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), was passed by the House Education and Workforce Committee with bipartisan support. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by adding a definition of the...
Governors promote special education initiatives in annual addresses
K-12 Dive Special education initiatives were a priority for several governors in their annual state of state addresses — including in Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania — at a time when the national count of students with disabilities continues to rise and as...
Should Kids Be Banned from Social Media?
Australia just made it a law. Troy has thoughts — and some receipts. The Law Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 bans anyone under 16 from creating or holding accounts on social media platforms. Companies — not parents — are...
Can fish see water?
This week's question came from Troy — which is to say, it arrived with a fully developed argument attached. Some questions are simple on the surface. This was not one of those questions. The question "Can fish see water?" He wasn't asking because he didn't know. He...
CA: Special education has become a flash point in negotiations with teachers
EdSource When more than 90% of San Diego Unified School District teachers voted to authorize a strike, it wasn’t just about pay increases or health care benefits — it was about special education caseloads that some teachers say are pushing them out of the profession....
N.J. education challenges 2026: What Sherrill must address
nj.com Special education advocates also say Sherrill’s administration needs to consider making major changes to how funding is distributed for students with disabilities. The special education portion of the formula sends too much money to some districts and not...
NC: A tool meant to support students could be delaying needed special education services
WUNC News For families whose kids need special education services, the system they have to pass through can sometimes be an obstacle instead of a help. Starting in 2020, all North Carolina schools were required to use a framework called Multi-Tiered Systems of...