Category: Federal Government Actions

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Two Student Speech Cases in a Week (June 17, 2026)

The U.S. Supreme Court (Court) declined to hear two free speech cases brought against school districts within a week. Most recently, on June 15, 2026 the Court rejected a petition in E.D. v. Noblesville School District, which was brought on behalf of an Indiana high school student whose flyers promoting an anti-abortion school club’s meetups were rejected by school administrators because they contained images of students with “Defund Planned Parenthood” and other signage. The district court where the lawsuit was initially filed and the U.S. 7th Court of Appeals both decided in favor of the school district, and the Court’s rejection of the case means those decisions stay in place.

Previously, on June 8, 2026 the Court rejected another free speech case out of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. That case, C.S. v. Craig McCrumb, began in 2022 when a then-3rd grade student wore a black baseball cap depicting an AR-15-style rifle and the phrase “COME AND TAKE IT” to school for Wear a Hat Day. In that case, school officials believed wearing weapon imagery is never appropriate in school and they made the student remove it and the appeals court later ruled in favor of the school district.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Report: School Nurses Face Unstable Work Conditions and Burnout and NASN Sounds Alarm (June 10, 2026)

Recently, Lynn Nelson, board president of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), said that budget cuts are increasing the likelihood of school nurses being laid off and, as a result, only 8% of school nurses plan to stay in the education sector until they retire and 71% expect to keep working in schools for just six more years or less. The comments were made in light of according to a report released in April by Soliant Health, a healthcare staffing provider.

In addition, preliminary survey findings from the NASN show that 66% of school nurses plan to stay in schools for three to five years and, among those who planned to leave, 65% said they would retire. Such retention rate data is raising red flags about the stability of the school nursing workforce and employees’ ability to sustainably take care of students. 

In fact, it was found that current staffing shortages are the biggest factor cited by school nurses for burnout. Other contributors include student behavioral problems, high caseloads, safety concerns and administrative demands.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

FCC to Conduct Complete Review of E-Rate, Could Have Serious Affect on Disabled Kids (June 6, 2026)

According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr in a June 3, 2026 statement, increased screen time for students shows a need for action, including cutting back on screen time. As a result, Reuters reports that, as part of its review, the FCC is considering reforming or ending the three-decade-old E-Rate program altogether as part of its review.

However, calls to scale back screen time in schools have some organizations and education researchers urging a more restrained approach to the issue, including consideration regarding the quality and purpose of technology use, since many students with disabilities rely on assistive technology for learning, communication and health reasons. Thus, limiting screen time in schools could hinder access to devices that students with disabilities rely on for individualized services and accommodations.

In fact, according to the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, students with disabilities have difficulty accessing the assistive technology they need could run afoul of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) since under IDEA qualifying students with disabilities are guaranteed access to assistive technology if their individualized education program team determines they would benefit from certain tools, devices, and technology. In addition, students with disabilities might also qualify for accommodations and services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Also, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all programs and services.

On June 25, 2026, the FCC will vote on the proposal, which will be posted for public comment on various aspects of the program.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here and here.

For more from Reuters, click here.

USDE Faces New Suit over Cancelled PD Grants (June 5, 2026)

On June 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) was sued over its abrupt termination last year of 28 national professional development grants for teachers of English learners, which allegedly “destabilized” teacher pipelines in at least 12 states.

The USDE rescinded the grants in September 2025 due to “divisive ideology,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed the lawsuit alongside the National Education Association. The suit alleges that the cancellations violated the recipients’ rights under the First Amendment and other federal laws, damaged teacher certification pipelines in at least a dozen states, halted coaching and credential pathways for thousands of teachers, and deprived EL students of qualified educators. 

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Letter from Senators to USDE Demand Answers over Closed Office of English Language Acquisition (June 4, 2026)

In May, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) closed the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) office to “ensure better alignment of programs” for English learners. As a result, a 22 U.S. Senators sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on June 2, 2026 demanding answers over the U.S. Department of Education’s closure of the Office of English Language Acquisition last month. In that letter, the Democratic and Independent senators said that the decision “will have devastating and lasting consequences for the education of more than five million English learner students nationwide.” 

The letter also claims that portions of the Department of Education Organization Act, which established the agency in 1979, also “require the establishment of OELA.” and that the USDE “remains statutorily responsible for administering the programs that Congress has assigned to OELA through multiple authorization and appropriations laws.” 

In their letter, the senators asked the USDE to respond within 30 days with information, including what role the Labor Department will play in administering Title III programs, what steps the USDE has taken to ensure compliance with all statutory requirements, and whether the USDE will publicly release a transition and implementation plan.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.