Category: Federal Government Actions

LEA Special Ed. Data Reports Online Preview Period Ends May 26th (May 21, 2025)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires states to report annually to the public on each Local Educational Agency (LEA)’s performance on the targets established in the State Performance Plan. Annually, states are required to report LEA performance on the following State Performance Plan school-age indicators for students with disabilities: Graduation Rates; Dropout Rates; Participation and Performance on Statewide Assessments; Suspension Rates; Educational Environments; School-Facilitated Parent Involvement; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity Receiving Special Education; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity in Specific Disability Categories; Timelines for Initial Evaluation; Individualized Education Program Secondary Transition Goals and Services; and Post-School Outcomes.

To fulfill the State Performance Plan public reporting requirement for the 2023-24 school year, each LEA will have an online Special Education Data Report (SEDR) that shows local performance on the above indicators. In some instances, an LEA’s report will not have data for every indicator (e.g., the data comes from cyclical monitoring and the LEA was not monitored in 2023-24, or the data set is too small to be reliable), and a reason code will be on the report.

Prior to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) publishing these reports publicly, LEAs will have an opportunity to preview the website and their reports. The preview period will begin May 19, 2025, and end May 26, 2025. To review your State Performance Plan SEDR, visit Preview of LEA SEDR and select your LEA from the drop-down list. The accompanying narrative explains how data are obtained and how to interpret the reports. It can be found at PennData > Public Reporting > State Performance Plan Narrative (psu.edu).

If your LEA has questions or concerns about the data displayed, consult your Intermediate Unit Data Manager to ensure that the data submitted to the state matches the data provided by your LEA. If questions remain following these internal reviews and verifications, contact Jodi Rissinger, Data Manager with PDE, via email at jrissinger@pa.gov or Dan Ficca at c-dficca@pa.gov.

When the SEDR Reports go live on the public site, they can be accessed by visiting the Special Education Data Reporting (formerly PennData) website at SEDR Report Dashboard (psu.edu) and selecting your LEA from the drop-down list. The most current State Performance Plan approved by the U.S. Department of Education is available for reference on the PDE website at www.education.pa.gov and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network website at www.pattan.net.

End of E-rate for Wi-Fi Hotspots in Schools may be Near (May 10, 2025)

According to K-12 Dive, on May 8, 2025 the end of E-rate eligibility for Wi-Fi hotspots came one step closer as the Senate voted 50-38 along party lines to overturn a 2024 expansion of the program overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A similar House resolution was introduced in February to strike down the recent inclusion of Wi-Fi hotspots in the E-rate program, which has helped connect schools and libraries to affordable telecommunications services for the last 29 years.

In fiscal year 2025, schools and school districts requested a total of $27.5 million for Wi-Fi hotspots alone, which are often used to help students who don’t have home internet access complete homework assignments that require digital connections.

The FCC’s decision to expand E-rate to include hotspots followed the expiration of the Emergency Connectivity Fund established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The pandemic-era fund allocated $123 million to the FCC to purchase hotspots for schools and libraries.

Both Senate and House measures were introduced by Republicans who say the FCC’s partisan move under the Biden administration to expand the E-rate program was overreach under the federal law.

In a related issue, a survey shows that a 74% of school districts report the loss of the E-rate program would have a “catastrophic” or “major” impact if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the federal broadband discount for schools and libraries is unconstitutional. A ruling in that case is expected this term.

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

Parents, Students Sue to Block OCR Practices (May 9, 2025)

In March 2025, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Center for Youth Law and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates filed suit on behalf of the students and parents in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March. The lawsuit asked for a permanent reversal of the department’s cuts to its Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Subsequently, on May 5, 2025 the groups filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against OCR over its reduced enforcement capacity, asking that it be temporarily restored while the lawsuit is pending. The motion cites the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) decision to cut OCR by half and says the agency has “functionally ended the processing of scores of complaints.” Plaintiffs are asking the courts to block current USDE civil rights investigation and enforcement policies that they say are allowing racial harassment, restraint and seclusion of students with disabilities, and other kinds of harassment and discrimination to go unchecked.

For more from KL-12 Dive, click here.

Court Rules USDE Must Allow ESSER Funding Extension (May 8, 2025)

According to a May 6, 2025 order issued by a New York federal judge, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) must allow the temporary extension of federal COVID-19 emergency funds to flow to 16 states and the District of Columbia (DC). Pennsylvania is one of the 16 states.

The preliminary injunction states that USDE is prohibited from enforcing the cancellation of funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program during the litigation or until a further court order. The reprieve only applies to those that sued for access to the funds. Along with DC, those states whose attorneys general sued are Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, and Oregon, as well as Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Trump’s FY26 Budget Proposes Slashing Over $4.5B from K-12 Ed. Funding (May 7, 2025)

According to K-12 Dive, the Trump Administration’s FY 2026 proposed budget would turn Title I and IDEA into single, separate grants, zero out key teacher grants, and add $60 million for charter schools.

The deep cuts would hit programs meant to ensure equitable access to education for underserved students and to protect their civil rights. Also, though maintained at current funding levels, Title I and special education programs would be reorganized into separate single grants aimed at letting states spend the money as they see fit.

Among the cuts are the following:
-All $70 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships grant, often used to diversify the teacher workforce.
-All $7 million for Equity Assistance Centers, established as part of desegregation efforts.
-All $890 million for English Language Acquisition.
-A $49 million, or 35%, reduction for the Office for Civil Rights. 

At the same time, Trump’s budget would boost funding for charter schools by $60 million.

For more from K-12, click here.