On July 27, 2026, a federal judge temporarily prevented the Trump administration’s continued attempts to revoke school-based mental health grants awarded under the Biden administration. The 15 states behind the lawsuit were awarded up to $1 billion in mental health grants that were at risk of being cancelled beginning July 31st. The temporary restraining order protects the plaintiffs until a further decision is made in the case.

The USDE has said it intends to cancel up to $1 billion for some states despite a court order preventing its first attempt to do so last year.

Previously, a December 2025 order from the same court found that the administration’s first attempt at terminating the grants was unlawful and permanently blocked them, despite an attempted appeal by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). In fact, the order said that it is unlawful to make funding decisions for already-approved multi-year grants by “evaluating their original grant applications against new unpublished priorities not in effect at the time that the Grants were approved.”

Although the July 27th decision is temporary, the court said that the USDE “has formulated a plan to re-review Grants for termination based on unlawful reasons,” and the states were likely to succeed in the case on at least some of their allegations, including that the administration’s cancellations were arbitrary and capricious. The temporary restraining order expires August 24, 2026, at which time a preliminary injunction or other means of pausing things may be issued until a final decision is made in the case.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

On August 2, 2026, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said during a TV interview that American parents should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years. In fact, the US has officially recorded 2,371 confirmed infections so far this year, already exceeding the 2025 year’s total of 2,289. When added together, the past two years have seen more measles infections in the US than the rest of the 21st century combined. The last time a greater number of measles cases were recorded in a single year was in 1991.

Sec. Kennedy, who has been a leading vaccination skeptic and has misinformed the public regarding the vaccination that protects against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), said, “Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective, it stops measles in about 97% of the cases. People should get vaccinated.”

While the CDC considers the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella safe and effective, the vaccination rate among school-aged children has fallen in recent years in the face of political division. In fact, Florida’s state surgeon general mounted an effort to end all vaccine mandates, including those required for schoolchildren.

As measles cases climb, several national, state, and local organizations and health departments are providing guidance for schools. The CDC offers a checklist for how K-12 schools can respond when a student or employee exhibits measles symptoms.

Sources: The Guardian and K-12 Dive

On July 30, 2026, the U.U. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) approved a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) from transferring four of its offices to other federal agencies. The legislation, S. 5046, would specifically block the outsourcing of USDE offices that oversee special education, postsecondary education, elementary and secondary education, and Native American education programs.

However, in spite of Senate Democrats’ attempts during the committee markup to include an amendment that would also block the transfer of the USDE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the revision was voted down 12-11.

Other K-12 bills passed by HELP included S. 4689, the Reading Excellence and Achievement for Development Act, which would make changes to state literacy development grant programs and align the science of reading with federal accountability and investments in research, teacher preparation and evidence-based instruction. Also included was S. 3010, the 21st Century Dyslexia Act, which would amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to promote early screenings for children with dyslexia.

The bill now awaits a full Senate vote and comes two weeks after the House having introduced 10 bills that would codify some of the USDE transferal moves.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is ending the collection of key civil rights data on the nation’s LGBTQ+ students. The result of this action ends the gathering of data and definitions related to the harassment, bullying, and assaults regarding a group of students found to be more at-risk of such incidents. 

The changes will be made to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a mandated survey of all public school districts that has been administered for almost six decades.

The 2025-26 survey, which was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in July, will eliminate schools’ reporting of how many students identify as nonbinary, how often they are victims of harassment and bullying, and whether school districts have policies prohibiting those incidents.

Source: K-12 Dive

On July 27, 2026, a federal judge temporarily prevented the Trump administration’s continued attempts to revoke school-based mental health grants awarded under the Biden administration. The 15 states behind the lawsuit were awarded up to $1 billion in mental health grants that were at risk of being cancelled beginning July 31st. The temporary restraining order protects the plaintiffs until a further decision is made in the case.

The USDE has said it intends to cancel up to $1 billion for some states despite a court order preventing its first attempt to do so last year.

Previously, a December 2025 order from the same court found that the administration’s first attempt at terminating the grants was unlawful and permanently blocked them, despite an attempted appeal by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). In fact, the order said that it is unlawful to make funding decisions for already-approved multi-year grants by “evaluating their original grant applications against new unpublished priorities not in effect at the time that the Grants were approved.”

Although the July 27th decision is temporary, the court said that the USDE “has formulated a plan to re-review Grants for termination based on unlawful reasons,” and the states were likely to succeed in the case on at least some of their allegations, including that the administration’s cancellations were arbitrary and capricious. The temporary restraining order expires August 24, 2026, at which time a preliminary injunction or other means of pausing things may be issued until a final decision is made in the case.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.