Category: News in the Field

Federal Judge Blocks Changes to Childhood Vaccine Schedule (March 16, 2026)

As reported by NBC News, on March 16, 2026 a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent overhaul of the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical groups brought against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), arguing that the changes to vaccine recommendations and to an influential vaccine advisory committee violated federal law.

In January, Kennedy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made wide-ranging changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended diseases to be vaccinated against from 18 to 11. The change dropped recommendations that all babies should be protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.

As a result, more than 200 organizations, including the American Medical Association, the March of Dimes and the Autism Science Foundation, announced they would disregard the changes and instead follow the AAP’s immunization schedule.

The ruling also put on hold the new members Kennedy has appointed to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee since June. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) helps shape U.S. vaccine policy, including recommendations that influence the childhood vaccine schedule and which shots insurance must cover.

The ruling also stayed any of the votes the ACIP has taken since June, including a vote to no longer recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns.

For more from NBC News, click here.

State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey – Cohort 5 (MP4S) (March 16, 2026)

The accountability requirement under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 mandates each state determines the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14). To meet the federal reporting requirement, each local educational agency (LEA) is mandated to administer an Exit Process and Post-School Surveys to students (who have graduated, dropped out or reached the maximum age) with individualized education programs (IEPs) once over a five-year period, based on the LEA’s assignment to a targeted sampling year.

To meet this federal reporting requirement, once over a five-year period, each local educational agency (LEA) is required to survey all students with IEPs who graduate, dropout, or age out. The My Plan For Success process (MP4S) will be used to gather this data. The random sampling process used to assign each LEA to one of the five years in each cycle ensures that the LEAs selected each year are representative of the state as a whole with regard to LEA size, disability category, ethnicity, gender, and exiting status.

During the 2024-2025 school year, LEAs assigned to Target Sampling Cohort 5 completed the exit process. The LEAs assigned to MP4S Cohort 5 need to be aware of the following points as they must fulfill the post-survey requirements during the 2025-2026 school year:

No earlier than one year after the student left school and no later than September 26, 2026, the LEA will need to administer the MP4S post survey to former students who had an IEP and who graduated, dropped out, or aged out at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. (These former students should have been administered the exit survey in Spring of 2025). All this information will be entered by your LEA through the online PDE/IMS (Integrated Monitoring System).

Intermediate Unit and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) transition consultants will monitor the LEA’s progress and assist as needed with the MP4S procedure.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education will provide training on the implementation and electronic submission of the MP4S Target Year 5 to LEAs via a webinar scheduled for April 9, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please register for this webinar at the My Plan for Success Overview and Procedural Training webpage.

For a list of LEAs assigned to the 2025-2026 Cohort 5 POST or questions about this process, please contact Hillary Mangis, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN-Pittsburgh Office, at (800) 446-5607, ext. 6878 (inside PA) or via email at hmangis@pattanpgh.net.

PA State Board of Ed. Holds 390th Meeting (March 12, 2026)

On March 12, 2026 the PA State Board of Education held its 390th meeting both in-person and via virtual means. Highlights of the meeting included reports and items for discussion. The meeting was conducted by Chairperson Karen Farmer White.

In the day’s previous meetings, Dr. Brian Gasper reported on the Chapter 4 committee’s recommendations pertaining to the Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities and the Academic Standards for Health, Safety, and Physical Education. His report was followed by Ms. Amy Lena’s report on the work of the committee on the State Academic Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

In another prior meeting, Dr. Kate Shaw provided an overview of the State Board of Higher Ed.’s Strategic Plan for Higher Education, which was recently adopted by the State Board of Ed.

During the State Board’s meeting, Ms. Katherine Christiano reported on the work of the Academic Standards/Chapter 4 Committee as per the previously-mentioned reports of Dr. Gasper and Ms. Lena. She reported that the Arts and Humanities and HSPE committees received recommendations for review. She also reported on the annex to Chapter 4 and information received from the Adult Ed. Department regarding Chapter 4 changes. The committee will also consider how to assess ELA and Math achievement and will conduct a roundtable discussion in July followed by HSPE and Arts and Humanities hearings in September.

Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe spoke to the Board regarding the governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget. She highlighted such items as a $50M increase in special ed. subsidy funding while pointing out that the state currently has a 21% rate of its students qualifying for IDEA services. She said that there is also a proposed $111M increase in safety and MH funding, pointing out that schools are using such funds for bolstering pupil services through hiring school social workers to help improve attendance (Coatesville Area SD) and a full-time behavioral therapist (Iroquois AD) as examples. An increase of $14.3 is requested for enhancements and innovations in CTE services by school districts that are not duplicative of career and tech school offerings (California ASD and Williamsport ASD). A proposed $526M for Ready-to-Learn block grants could be effectively used for such things as hiring full-time counselors and MTSS coaches, which have shown to have a significant positive effect on student behavioral health and academic performance. She also said that a proposed $5M increase in student teacher stipends would result in a total of $35M from which 4,000 student-teachers would benefit. She concluded her budget review saying that a $2.5M increase is adult ed. funding would provide much-needed monies for opportunities to all for upskilling.

Dr. Rowe also spoke about the governor’s request to guarantee recess for K-5 students in light of the importance for providing time for unstructured play/activity for those students. This is to be examined by the Board. Subsequent discussion by the Board resulted in the forming of an ad hoc committee to look at evidence-based best practices and to provide recommendations to the full Board. It was felt that a look at what some other states (e.g., NJ and RI) and Johns Hopkins University have already determined in this regard. It was suggested that a good starting point for the committee would also be to examine the PA State Wellness Standards. A report is to be submitted to the governor on May 15, 2026.

There being no action items, the meeting was adjourned.

GSA Plan Would Ban DEI for All Federal Funding Recipients, Including Schools (March 11, 2026)

A General Services Administration (GSA) proposal, which follows a similar policy from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) that was blocked in courts, would require federal funding recipients to certify that they are not knowingly hiring or recruiting undocumented staff. The proposed policy is in support of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and its desire to ban diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and accessibility programs at schools and elsewhere, with a proposal that would require all federal funding recipients to certify that they do not have such initiatives.

The certification would cover programs the Trump administration calls “discriminatory practices,” such as race-based scholarships or programs, “cultural competence” requirements, and “overcoming obstacles” narratives or “diversity statements.” Training programs that “create a hostile environment” would likewise be prohibited for entities that get federal funding. 

The move continues the administration’s anti-DEI push, which hit a roadblock in the education sector when federal courts last year blocked the U.S. Department of Education from implementing a similar measure.

However, in February, the Trump administration also scored a legal victory in its anti-DEI efforts, when the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals undid a temporary pause against three major provisions in two executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI practices in education and other sectors.

GSA, which posted the proposed requirement earlier this year, estimates it would impact 222,760 entities receiving federal funds.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

PAPSA Conference to Feature a Segment on AI Implementation (March 10, 2026)

Along with annual legislative updates that focus on Special Ed. and pupil/student services issues, Attorney Sharon Montanye will be sharing the floor during the 23rd Paul Stevens Memorial Legal Seminar for a segment with PAPSA member and Special Ed. administrator Dr. Mike Ubbens as he walks through Avon Grove’s AI implementation process, demonstrating how the team centralized procedures and deployed a district-specific AI support agent, and sharing concrete examples of how these changes increased clarity, consistency, and confidence in daily operations. The session will also look at some of the legal challenges and benefits in adopting AI. 

U.S. House Hearing Shows Need for AI Professional Development

During a February 24, 2026 House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hearing legislators and witnesses agreed that teachers need professional development on artificial intelligence (AI) tools if they want to safely and effectively use the technology in their classrooms. Witnesses also emphasized the need for federal support to provide such training. However, while some Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed interest in providing federal resources toward professional development in effectively using AI in lessons, Democrats said that is harder to do since the Office of Educational Technology was shuttered last year by the Trump administration’s mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here