Education

19 Blue States Sue Over DEI Threat To Funding Schools

Politico reports: The lawsuit, led by California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York, argues that an ultimatum delivered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month to comply with the Trump administration’s interpretation of federal anti-discrimination law was unconstitutional and unlawful. Under the directive, states are required to certify their schools will adhere to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling …

Read More »

New Trump Order Targets American Bar Association

Reuters reports: The Trump Administration said in an executive order on Wednesday that it is considering revoking the American Bar Association’s status as the federally recognized accreditor of law schools, a change that could impact lawyer licensing, student loans and attorney mobility, legal education experts said. Trump said he was directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to assess whether to suspend …

Read More »

Judge Blocks Order Defunding Schools Over Diversity

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration of violating teachers’ due process and First Amendment rights. …

Read More »

Trump Signs Anti-DEI Order On School Discipline

The education site Chalkbeat reports: President Donald Trump signed executive orders Wednesday that aim to promote stricter school discipline and discourage schools from considering whether discipline policies have a greater impact on students of color. Under former President Barack Obama, the Education Department warned schools that policies that led to students of certain racial groups being suspended or expelled at …

Read More »

Indiana GOP Deletes Consent From Sex Ed Lessons

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports: A Republican senator detailed changes to a contentious sex education bill on Monday, including deletion of a proposed requirement for K-12 schools to teach about consent. The last-minute edits to Senate Bill 442 were announced during a 13-minute conference committee meeting. Public testimony was allowed but none was provided. Earlier versions of the legislation required …

Read More »

DOE To Resume “Involuntary” Student Loans Collection

NBC News reports: The U.S. Department of Education on Monday said it’s restarting “involuntary” repayment of federal student loans that are in default. The payments were paused during the first term of President Donald Trump in 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic. “Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’s offset program, which …

Read More »

FSU Waives Attendance For Final Week Of Term

The Associated Press reports: Students and instructors will have the option of holding classes remotely or in person, depending on the class. The school has waived all mandatory attendance policies that could affect grades, so students won’t be punished if they choose not to go to class in person, FSU President Richard McCullough said in a letter to students and …

Read More »

Proposed Budget Eliminates Funding For Head Start

CNN reports: The Trump administration is considering eliminating funding for two key federal programs that help millions of low-income Americans educate their young children and heat their homes. A draft of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year calls for ending support for Head Start, which provides early childhood education and other services to nearly 800,000 kids, …

Read More »

Canadian Colleges See Surge In American Applicants

Reuters reports: More students living in the United States are applying to Canadian universities or expressing interest in studying north of the border as U.S. President Donald Trump cuts federal funding to universities and revokes foreign student visas. Officials at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus said the school reported a 27% jump in graduate applications as of March …

Read More »

Trump Admin Freezes $2B In Funding For Harvard

The Washington Post reports: Harvard University officials on Monday rejected Trump administration demands that the school yield to extensive government oversight and make sweeping changes to governance, admissions and hiring practices, calling the directives unlawful and unconstitutional. The administration responded Monday night by saying it would freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding to the Ivy League school. The …

Read More »

Markets Plummet Again Over Trump’s Tariffs On China

CNBC reports: Stocks fell Thursday, giving back some of the gains from the historic rally seen in the previous session after Trump announced a 90-day reprieve on some of his “reciprocal” tariffs. Investors worried that even with the short pause on some of the duties, economic activity will be slowed by Trump’s singling out of China with a much higher …

Read More »

Texas Bill Would Force Colleges To Rewrite History

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas senators could vote this week on a bill that would drastically limit how the state’s public universities teach their students about history, race and inequality. Senate Bill 37 would also create a way to file complaints about universities that higher ed experts say could threaten their funding and create a profound chilling effect. If the …

Read More »

Nebraska Students Pose In Locker Room With Nazi Flag

York, Nebraska’s NBC affiliate reports: A pair of students in Nebraska are facing consequences after they were seen on social media posing in their high school’s locker room holding a flag symbolizing hate. Aurora Public Schools said it is now taking steps to discipline those students as well as prevent any further issues. Jody Phillips, the district’s superintendent, said whenever …

Read More »

SCOTUS Upholds Freeze On Millions To Hire Teachers

CNN reports: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump to temporarily freeze millions of dollars in grants to states for addressing teacher shortages, the administration’s first win at the high court since reclaiming power in January. The decision was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals dissenting. Trump attempted to cancel the grants based on …

Read More »

Public Schools Given 10 Days To Sign Anti-Diversity “Certification” In Order To Receive Federal Funding

The Associated Press reports: As a condition for receiving federal money, the Trump administration is ordering K-12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion practices. A notice sent Thursday by the Education Department gives states and schools 10 days to sign and return the certification. It’s the latest escalation against …

Read More »

GOP Flack Locks X Account After Getting $1M Check

The Meidas Touch reports: Nicholas Jacobs, chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans and a rising GOP operative, has locked his Twitter account following intense backlash over his acceptance of a $1 million check from Elon Musk. The controversial payout has fueled accusations that he was being rewarded for his political influence rather than as an impartial voter. Critics across social …

Read More »

Trump Petitions SCOTUS To Gut Funding For Teachers

Politico reports: The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training. A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them …

Read More »

Red States Want Control Of Federal Education Money

The Associated Press reports: Governors in several Republican-led states are pressing the Trump administration to cut strings attached to their federal education money, a goal conservatives have long dreamed of that now appears within reach as President Donald Trump moves to dismantle the Education Department. Iowa put itself forward as a test case this month, asking the Education Department to …

Read More »

T-Shirt Shop Overwhelmed With Orders After Teacher Refuses To Take Down Her “Everyone Is Welcome” Sign

The Idaho State Journal reports: West Ada School District has recently come under fire after a KTVB story highlighted Lewis and Clark Middle School teacher Sarah Inama, who was asked to remove signs and posters promoting inclusivity from her classroom. The signs share the message that all students are welcome and feature hands of different skin colors and a series …

Read More »

Multiple Groups Sue Over Gutting Of Education Dept

NBC News reports: The NAACP and the National Education Association, along with other groups, announced this morning that they are suing the Trump administration over its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. “Eliminating or effectively shuttering the Department puts at risk the millions of vulnerable students, including those from low-income families, English learners, homeless students, rural students and others …

Read More »