Despite continued acts of violence in schools, record-breaking instances of gun violence, and an increase cyberattacks, the Trump administration has disbanded the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board. Ironically, during President Donald Trump’s first administration, an interagency effort established the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse, a public website that offers a wide range of school safety resources and recommendations for schools and school districts. The clearinghouse was established after the 2018 mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 

Two years later, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was passed in response to another mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Subsequently, the passage of the BSCA led to the creation of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board.

Members of the federal school safety board received notice of its disbanding via a January 20, 2025 memo from Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The board members were invited by DHS to re-apply in the future. Ronn Nozoe, CEO of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), who was appointed as the board’s first chair, said he plans to apply to rejoin the board.

In total, the 26 former board members ranged from school safety experts and education leaders who were tasked with formulating advice and recommendations to improve K-12 school safety and security.

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On January 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) directing school districts and colleges to follow the 2020 Title IX rule for investigating sex discrimination in schools, closing the chapter on a Biden administration rule that faced much legal turmoil.

The letter from Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor confirms that under the 2020 rule, the interpretation of “sex” means being born male or female. The letter also clarified that any open Title IX investigations initiated under the 2024 Title IX Rule should be immediately re-evaluated to comply with the requirements of the 2020 rule.

According to Trainor, the change in approach is based on a federal judge’s decision earlier in January that struck down the 2024 rule as unconstitutional across the country. That rule for the first time extended Title IX civil rights protections to LGBTQI+ students and employees at federally funded schools and colleges, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

To view the DCL, click here.

Source: K-12 Dive

On January 29, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)  rescinded an order freezing federal grants after the administration’s move to halt spending earlier this week provoked a backlash. An OMB memo distributed to federal agencies states that OMB memorandum M-25-13 “is rescinded.” That order, issued Monday (1/27/25), instructed federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.”

The White House order freezing federal grants caused mass chaos and confusion across Washington, appearing to imperil government programs that fund schools, provide housing and ensure that low-income Americans have access to health care.

Source: Washington Post

Previously, on January 28, 2025, a U.S. District judge paused the U.S. Government’s temporary freeze on federal funding just minutes before it was set to take effect at 5 p.m. that day. The Washington, D.C. judge blocked the Trump administration’s directive for one week.

The legal challenge came from a coalition of organizations that filed a motion for a temporary restraining order. A federal memo issued on Monday, January 27th,  directed agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to temporarily pause financial assistance by 5 p.m. the next day.

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On January 29, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at finding ways to cut federal funding to schools that teach certain topics related to race, sex, gender or politics. The order calls for the incoming secretary of Education to “provide a strategy to the President” to end what he calls “indoctrination” in K-12 education within 90 days of the order being signed. The order also directs the attorney general to work with state and local authorities to pursue actions against school officials and teachers who “sexually exploit minors” or allow social transitioning, No details are provided as what those actions would be taken.

Another January 29th order seeks to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to expand school choice through Education Savings Accounts (ESA). It requires the secretaries of Education and Defense to evaluate how discretionary grant programs can be used to advance his “education freedom” mandate.

Source: ABC News

The U.S. Supreme Court (Court) has agreed to hear a case that questions whether students filing disability discrimination claims must prove that public school officials acted with discriminatory intent through “bad faith or gross misjudgment.”

In A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a Minnesota student, Ava, and her parents are challenging an 8th Circuit ruling from March 2024 that children with disabilities who claim disability discrimination in educational settings under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must meet a high standard to potentially receive monetary damages.

In their filing, the petitioners are asking the Court to “resolve deep divisions in the lower courts and enforce the plain terms of key statutes protecting vulnerable children from discrimination by their schools.” 

As of yet, no date has been set for oral arguments.

Click here for more details. Source: K-12 Dive