Category: News in the Field

Texas Lawsuit Threatens an End to Section 504 (February 14, 2025)

A high-stakes lawsuit, Texas v. Becerra, is currently making its way through the courts, threatening crucial protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This federal lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general against the Biden Administration’s updated disability discrimination regulation, challenges two aspects of that rule-. One aspect potentially allows discrimination protections for transgender individuals while the other sets parameters for application of the statutory “integration mandate.”

In its suit, Texas and its 16 supporting states (i.e., Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Flordia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia) claim that these two aspects of the rule violate the Administrative Procedures Act and that they, and the entirety of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act violated the Constitution’s Spending Clause. Thus, in claiming that Section 504 is unconstitutional and instead of taking aim at those specific provisions, the lawsuit seeks to dismantle Section 504 in its entirety. If successful, this case could strip away fundamental protections, making it easier for discrimination against disabled individuals to go unchallenged.

The case is currently being considered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and whatever their ruling is likely to be appealed up to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, before possibly going to the U.S. Supreme Court.

To view a video detailing the case by the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), click here.

For more information from The Educators Room, click here.

PDE Provides Publicly Placed Complaints Public Notice (February 12, 2025)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is dedicated to equality, so all students in the Commonwealth have access to a high-quality, safe, and appropriate education, regardless of location. To ensure parity for one of the most vulnerable populations, PDE has created a Publicly Placed Complaint process to be utilized by anyone to raise concerns regarding the education and treatment of school-aged students placed by a court or child welfare agency in a facility with an on-grounds school or educational program.  Under this system, PDE will review and, to the extent permitted by law, investigate complaints regarding the education of publicly placed students. With notice from concerned persons in the Commonwealth, PDE will increase the oversight of all publicly placed students attending on-grounds schools or on-grounds educational programs.

For additional information or information on how to submit a Publicly Placed Education Complaint, please visit the Publicly Placed Complaint webpage.

$881M in USDE Funding Cancelled (February 12, 2025)

On February 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has approximately $881 million in multiyear research contracts, which are expected to affect data accuracy and the implementation of evidence-based practices. The contracts terminated by the Education Department’s Institute of Educational Sciences include 29 related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),  totaling $101 million. 

The USDE reports that it “removed or archived” hundreds of DEI-related outward-facing documents (i.e., guidance, reports, and training materials) to comply with a presidential executive order to end federal DEI activities. The USDE has also put employees charged with leading DEI efforts on paid leave.

The announce cuts are expected to prevent the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from reporting data on school, college and university finances and to facilitate a loss of future survey data to understand the extent of teacher shortages and chronic absenteeism in schools.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Governor Shapiro Unveils 2025-26 Budget Proposal (February 10, 2025)

On February 4, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro presented his 2025-26 budget proposal to the General Assembly and the people of Pennsylvania. Calling it a “Proposal to Cut Costs, Drive Economic Growth, Strengthen Public Safety, Fund Our Kids’ Education, and Continue to Get Stuff Done for Pennsylvanians.” According to a press release, the proposal “places a special emphasis on workforce development; reduces health care, housing, and energy costs; invests in economic development; and continues bipartisan efforts to support Pennsylvania students – all while maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

To access the budget proposal, click here.

PA Kindergarten Entry Inventory 2025-2026 School Year Invitation to Participate (February 10, 2025)

All elementary schools are encouraged to implement Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) in the 2025-2026 school year to assist in meeting federal requirements.

PA KEI is a reliable reporting tool that offers teachers an instructional strategy for understanding and tracking a student’s proficiency at kindergarten entry. The PA KEI is available to all local education agencies (LEAs) at no cost.

The PA KEI collects information on a consistent set of standards-based indicators across the Commonwealth. The PA KEI is based on Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood and the Pennsylvania Core Standards. PA KEI includes 30 indicators and provides a comprehensive profile that includes the domains of: Social and Emotional Development; English Language Arts; Mathematics; Approaches to Learning; and Health, Wellness and Physical Development. PA KEI is intended to be used by kindergarten teachers to record a student’s demonstration of skills within the first 45 calendar days of the kindergarten year. More information is available at www.kei-pa.org.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities to strengthen the contribution of high-quality early childhood education in school reform and improvement efforts. The law recognizes that school success starts before a student enters the K-12 setting and calls on states to describe how they will assist LEAs and elementary schools to collaborate with early childhood education programs, and to invest in evidence-based practices. ESSA supports early learning and LEA collaboration in three main ways: (1) expanding access to high-quality early learning; (2) encouraging alignment and collaboration from birth through third grade; and (3) supporting educators. The PA KEI is a tangible tool to assist LEAs in understanding the comprehensive learning strengths and needs of students entering the K-12 setting, establishing common expectations and language for beginning and extending collaborative conversations with pre-kindergarten programs and families, and planning and implementing joint professional development opportunities that focus on strengthening evidence-based practices for young learners.

Implementing the PA KEI requires a Point of Contact (POC) who will serve as the liaison between LEA administrative staff, implementing kindergarten teachers, the Office of Child Development and Learning (OCDEL), and data systems staff. A dedicated POC ensures effective communication and implementation throughout the PA KEI process. 

To initiate PA KEI participation in the 2025-2026 school year, send the POC name, email address, and phone number to [email protected] by May 30, 2025.

All kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development online course and obtain a certificate of completion. Teachers with an expired proficient user certificate (more than five years since certification) must also complete the professional development online course. More information about taking the online course is available on the KEI Professional Development webpage.

Questions about this communication may be sent to [email protected].