Category: News

Children With Disabilities Could Be Misunderstood By ICE Agents if Confronted (January 26, 2026)

Parents and advocates are expressing concern over the possibility of being confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that are unfamiliar with their circumstances and lack training necessary to help them deal with children with disabilities. The families of disabled children, who already fear their kids shutting down, running away, harming themselves or acting out when confronted under normal circumstances, have seen their anxiety skyrocket as they contemplate worst-case scenarios with federal agents. In fact, one parent, who lives near the epicenter of the daily raids and protests in Minnesota, worries about her 6-year-old autistic daughter having a meltdown during an encounter with ICE agents.

According to the 74, parents said they have no faith, after federal agents ripped a disabled, autistic woman from her car and, according to school officials, used a 5-year-old as bait this week to lure his mother from their home, that immigration officials would be patient with a child who can’t immediately respond to orders.

For more from The 74, click here.

USDE Ends Its Effort to Implement Anti-DEI Dear Colleague Letter(January 22, 2026)

On January 21, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) signed a joint motion to dismiss an appeal in a lawsuit that sought to allow it to move ahead with its anti-DEI policy. In abandoning its appeal, the agency signaled that it’s effectively stepping back from trying to enforce the policy.

In its February 14, 2025 anti-DEI Dear Colleague letter (DCL), the USDE averred that some schools’ race-based equity programs discriminate against White and Asian students and could result in their federal funding being withdrawn stating that “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”

The Feb. 14 Dear Colleague letter cited the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in SFFA v. Harvard which banned race-conscious college admissions practices, using it as a reason to dismantle other diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education.

Subsequently, in August 2025 a federal judge in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction in  American Federation of Teachers v. U.S. Department of Education. That injunction temporarily blocked the anti-DEI DCL and a subsequent letter requiring school districts to certify that they do not incorporate DEI in their schools. The USDE appealed that ruling, but has now dropped the appeal.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Congress Opposes Dismantling the USDE via Bipartisan K-12 FY26 Budget Proposal (January 21, 2026)

A bipartisan and bicameral proposed agreement released on January 19, 2026 would fund the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) at $79 billion for fiscal year 2026 (FY26), which is $217 million above FY 2025 levels. The agreement would derail the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize and eventually eliminate the USDE.

The proposed budget deal, coming months after the fiscal year began October 1, 2025, would include slight increases for special education programming, rural education and Impact Aid, which provides additional financial support to communities with tax-exempt federal properties.

The new budget proposal would also explicitly prevent the USDE from transferring statutorily required program responsibilities to other federal agencies. The House and Senate FY 26 bill would also require USDE to make formula grants available to states and school districts on time and to issue funds at levels dictated by Congress in the funding bill. It also would add a new requirement to maintain the USDE staff at levels necessary to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in the bill.

Republican and House appropriations leaders praised the funding proposal, which is expected to be voted on before January 30, 2026.

Click here to learn more from K-12 Dive.

Bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 Signed into Law (January 18, 2026)

On January 14, 2026, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was signed into law. The bipartisan legislation permits schools to provide whole milk and nondairy beverage options in federally subsidized school meals.

School districts are currently permitted to only serve fat-free and low-fat milks in school meals due to concerns that milk consumption contributes to high cholesterol and obesity in young people.

In addition, schools are already required to offer a milk substitute to students with doctor’s notes saying they have a disability limiting their ability to consume fluid milk. The newly passed Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 would now allow parents and legal guardians to submit similar requests to schools to serve their children nondairy substitutes.

Source: K-12 Dive

PA State Board of Ed. Holds 389th Meeting (January 15, 2026)

On January 15, 2026, the PA State Board of Education (Board) held its 389th meeting at the PDE building in Harrisburg and via Zoom. Ms. Sandra Dungee-Glenn opened the meeting at 1:00 PM due to the in-person absence of Karen Farmer White.

Committee reports began with the Hon. Maureen Lally-Green who reported on the progress of the Special and Gifted Education Committee. The essence of that report can be viewed on the PAPSA website at https://papsa-web.org/special-and-gifted-education-committee-makes-recommendations-to-pa-state-board-january-15-2026/.

Ms. Dungee-Glenn then reported on the work of the Teacher and School Leader Effectiveness Committee. That committee is providing recommendations for teacher certification testing. Her report recommended that evaluations for those seeking primary certification include early childhood education, evidence-based reading practices, classroom management strategies, be aligned with any applicable competencies, be accessible online and in person, provide access to test materials, and determine whether an alternate pathway might be available to those not attaining a qualifying score. Her report also recommended the need for reading competencies, performance-based measures for those not attaining qualifying test scores, the Secretary of Ed. to address problems with misalignment of items within the process of certification, the General Assembly to provide funds for waiving fees for those experiencing financial hardship, and to allow for internships prior to the successful completion of certification assessments.

Reports to the Board from PDE leaders began with Mr. Rick Levis’ update regarding Act 47 of 2025, which was passed in November 2025. He spoke of the certification fee reduction that limits fees to no more than $50. He also addressed the grade span changes in Section 1202.2 which are: Primary – Grades PreK to 6; Secondary – Grades 7 to 12; and Specialized Areas – Grades PK to 12. These changes are hoped to address staffing issues with a focus on the shortage of teachers for middle level classrooms. He also spoke of the Accelerated Special Ed. Certification Program that will address Special Ed. staffing vacancies. In addition, he said that those with PreK to 4 certification will also be able to teach grades 5 and 6 and that those certified to teach grades 7-12 will also be able to teach 6th grade content areas. He ended his report by stating that the Early Preparation Program (EPP) will go into effect on July 1, 2028.

In additional reports, Dr. Lynette Kuhn informed the Board that FAFSA completion numbers are up while  Ms. Amy Lena reported that cyber schools are required to regularly conduct wellness checks on students and that beginning in 2027-28 LEAs must use universal screeners for evidence-based reading instruction from a PDE-approved list.

Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe concluded the PDE leader reports by informing the Board of her December 9, 2025 PA Senate confirmation as the new PA Secretary of Education as well as PA’s ranking tops in the nation in middle school CTE programming.

In a report by Council of Basic Education student members Nina Bhatia and Julia Antunes, whereby the importance of peer mentoring was stressed, it was recommended that the Board create a student-to-student video series for students to tell of their experiences in their K-12 education as well as their postsecondary endeavors. Dr Rowe responded favorably to the recommendation and work will begin to examine how it may come to fruition.

In the meeting’s only action item, there being no further discussion regarding the draft 2025 Annual Report to the Governor and the General Assembly, the Board unanimously approved that the report be accepted and submitted as such.