Among remembrances of former president Jimmy Carter is his signing of S. 210 on October 17, 1979, which created the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and became operational in May of 1980.

In creating the USDE, Congress said the intention of the agency was to strengthen equal education opportunities for students and to improve the quality of education by supplementing the efforts taking place in the states and local districts.

Since its inception, there have been attempts to dismantle the USDE, but those congressional proposals have been unsuccessful. Presently, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate the Education Department and send “all education and education work and needs back to the states.”

Source: K-12 Dive

According to a report by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) increased by almost 19% during the 2023-24 school year as half of all National School Lunch Program (NSLP) schools now use the provision that lets low-income schools serve free meals to all students. In fact, 47,766 schools from 7,717 schools districts opted into the federal program for 2023-24, resulting in upwards of 23 million students in high-poverty schools access to free breakfasts and lunches.

In 2023, the (U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lowered the minimum threshold for low-income schools and school districts to qualify for the federal reimbursement program. Previously, 40% of students enrolled in a school had to be certified as eligible for free school meals, but that threshold is now 25%.

With the change in administration, it is unknown what the fate of the program will be since President-elect Trump has not signaled his position on the CEP, but Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation policy blueprint developed by former Trump administration officials, has called for the program’s elimination. The policy agenda also proposed that the USDA work with lawmakers to reject any efforts to support universal school meal programs.

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On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) withdrew a proposed federal rule that supporters said would have made it easier for schools to be reimbursed for school-based Medicaid services. It was seen as a way to reduce schools’ paperwork burdens and increase reimbursements for the rendering of applicable in-school Medicaid services.

The proposed rule, first issued in May 2023, recommended a rare amendment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees that students with disabilities receive supports for learning and related services. The rule also sought to eliminate an IDEA provision that requires one-time parental consent before schools file first-time invoices for school-based specialized services for children eligible for public benefits under Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or other public insurance and benefits programs. No other parental consent procedure under IDEA would have been affected. 

In addition, USDE leadership will change with the January 20th inauguration and it is unknown what the tenor would be for making such a rule change.

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