As Trump guts support for disabled students, their families are fighting back

by kids1stadvocac | Apr 22, 2025 | Federal

Truthout A letter to Congress, signed by 15 disability rights groups, made clear that removing federal oversight of critical civil rights laws like IDEA “leaves students vulnerable to the variation in state implementation and threatens to bring us back to a...

Students, additional parents join lawsuit challenging Department of Education’s abandoning of civil rights investigations

by kids1stadvocac | Apr 15, 2025 | Federal

On April 10, 2025 multiple parents and students, including COPAA members, from various states across the country have joined a federal lawsuit that seeks to restore the functions of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and reverse...

Court Pauses ED’s DEI Directive Requiring State Certification of Compliance

by kids1stadvocac | Apr 15, 2025 | Federal

On April 10, a U.S. District Court required the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to temporarily halt any action related to a directive issued on April 3. The new certification required States to sign an assurance to document that all K-12 schools comply with...

ED Requires States to Certify Adherence to Anti-DEI Priorities or Lose Title I funds

by kids1stadvocac | Apr 4, 2025 | Federal

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a letter to State Commissioners responsible for K-12 State Education Agencies (SEAs), instructing them to certify compliance with the Administration’s policies regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as...

A Texas student was kneed in the face by a school cop: Her civil rights case is one of thousands that may never be resolved

by kids1stadvocac | Apr 1, 2025 | Federal

The 74 After a campus police officer grabbed student Ja’Liyah Celestine by the hair and kneed her in the face, she filed a federal civil rights complaint that alleged persistent racial discrimination against Black teens at her Texas high...