Category: News in the Field

USDE’s Latest CRDC Redacts Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Entries (September 8, 2026)

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) quietly released results of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2023-24 school year, but redacted data collected on nonbinary students’ experiences. A tranche of federal data related to some LGBTQ+ students and their experiences in schools was withheld, even though the remaining data from the CRDC for the 2023-24 school year was released.

The redacted data covers nonbinary students’ experiences related to enrollment, discipline, bullying and harassment, and whether districts have policies prohibiting discriminatory harassment or bullying of students on the basis of their gender identity. Breakdowns of nonbinary students’ experiences by racial demographics, English learner status, and disability were also withheld.

The civil rights collection for the 2023-24 school year began under the Biden administration and concluded under the second Trump administration.

On August 31, 2026, the USDE quietly released the data, which had hundreds of entries involving nonbinary students redacted. It also lacked any in-depth accompanying report or analysis tools, which had been part of previous releases to help the public better understand the trends. 

Collected by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the CRDC is meant to capture data on equal access to education for various student subgroups and give the government a picture on schools’ compliance with civil rights laws. OCR has typically administered the data collection biennially for more than five decades.

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How PA’s Migrant Education Program and MSIX Can Support LEAs & Migratory Students Webinar (September 8, 2026)

The Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program (PA MEP) invites LEA administrators, student services staff, counselors, registrars, and other school professionals to learn how the program can help identify and support migratory students. Held on Monday, October 5 from 10:00am – 11:00am, the session is designed both for LEAs that already serve migratory students and for those that have limited familiarity or no current relationship with the PA MEP.

Participants will receive a practical overview of the PA MEP, including how the program helps LEAs identify potentially eligible students, connect families with educational and community resources, reduce barriers to school participation, and support student engagement and attendance. Migratory students face unique challenges, such as frequent moves, interrupted schooling, and other circumstances due to the culture of migrancy, and the PA MEP can serve as an important partner in helping LEAs address attendance concerns and promote educational continuity.

A central focus of the session will be the Migrant Student Information eXchange (MSIX), a national information-sharing database that gives authorized users access to important educational and enrollment information for eligible migratory students who may have attended schools in multiple states. Participants will learn how MSIX can support timely enrollment, improve records coordination, help identify gaps, reduce delays caused by missing information, and provide school staff with a clearer picture of a student’s educational history. By attending, LEA personnel will gain practical tools, resources, contacts, and a better understanding of how PA MEP and MSIX can work together with LEAs to support student attendance, academic progress, and successful transitions between schools.

To register, please visit the How Pennsylvania’s Migrant Education Program and MSIX Can Support LEAs and Migratory Students Webinar webpage.

Report: Trans, Nonbinary Students Absent from School over Safety Concerns (September 5, 2026)

According to a new report from LGBTQ+ student advocacy organizations Glisten and The Trevor Project, just under a third (32%) of transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse students missed at least one day of school in the month prior to being surveyed because they felt unsafe at school, according to a new report from LGBTQ+ student advocacy organizations Glisten and The Trevor Project.

In addition, more than half (56%) also said their school had at least one policy or practice that discriminated against LGBTQ+ students. At the same time, nearly all (97%) transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse students surveyed reported having at least one supportive educator at their school.

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Scholarship Opportunity: PB-IDA Leadership PL Scholarship Application (September 4, 2026)

To help districts bridge the gap between compliance and meaningful classroom practice, the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (PB-IDA) is offering a FREE scholarship opportunity for high-quality professional learning, funded through a generous donor grant.

This scholarship offers: 
Team-Based Leadership Capacity: Up to four (4) K-3 leaders per district (must include at least one building leader/principal alongside teacher leaders/coaches).
Structured Literacy & Systems Focus: Deepen foundational knowledge of the Science of Reading while designing the organizational infrastructure—coaching, scheduling, instructional alignment, and data protocols—needed for long-term success.
Direct Alignment with Act 47: Ground your district’s implementation strategy in evidence-based practices that directly satisfy state mandates while building shared leadership across school buildings.

Applications will be available beginning September 1, 2026. The deadline for applying is September 30, 2026. To apply, please visit the PB-IDA Scholarship form. 

For more information, please contact Candace Hall, Vice President, PB-IDA at candace.h@pbida.org or 84-219-2926.

Bipartisan Companion Bill to Prevent USDE Outsourcing Introduced in U.S. House (September 4, 2026)

On September 2, 2026, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House that seeks to prevent the transfer of four U.S. Department of Education (USDE) offices to other federal agencies. Those USDE offices lead activities for special education, postsecondary education, Native American education, and elementary and secondary education.

According to K-12 Dive, the bill — introduced by Reps. John Mannion, D-N.Y., Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. — is companion legislation to a Senate bill that currently awaits a full vote.

Thus far, the USDE under the Trump administration has a total of 14 interagency agreements with six other federal agencies to offload many K-12 and higher education responsibilities. The administration has said the agreements will break up federal bureaucracy, but critics say they add confusion and prevent cohesion among the offices being outsourced. In addition, a joint statement issued on September 3 by Mannion, Scott, and Fitzpatrick said their bill seeks to prevent the four offices’ transfers to agencies that “lack the staff, experience, and expertise needed to administer them.” Fitzpatrick also stated that, “The families I represent should never have to wonder whether a federal reorganization will cost their child a service, a protection, or an opportunity.” Fitzpatrick added that when constituents raised concerns about moving the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) out of the USDE, he “took those concerns directly to the Administration and demanded answers about how it would protect IDEA [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act], preserve critical resources, and prevent disruption for students.”
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), praised the House bill in a September 3 statement saying, “Transferring special education to the Department of Health and Human Services is misguided — it segregates special education from other education programs and jeopardizes the rights of students with disabilities.”

The House bill was referred to the Education and Workforce Committee for consideration. The companion bipartisan Senate bill passed that chamber’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in July. 

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