In May 2023, the Department of Education issued guidance on the current state of the law regarding constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public schools. Last updated in 2020, the guidance incorporates...more
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 adds funding and new programs for institutions of higher education. Appropriates approximately $170 billion for education, including more than $122 billion for elementary and secondary...more
On March 27, 2020, Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act in response to the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”). See H.R. 748. The CARES Act appropriated approximately...more
On Thursday, April 23, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the release of over $13 billion in emergency assistance for K-12 schools under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), also known as the “third COVID-19 supplemental relief bill,” was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act provides economic relief to public school...more
Today, the President signed a $2 trillion stimulus package into law to help industries impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The package includes a $30 billion Education Stabilization Fund for K-12 school districts...more
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has issued guidance to assist educators and educational institutions to ensure that students with disabilities continue to receive services mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities...more
The White House recently announced two initiatives aimed at addressing perceived discrimination in education against students and institutions based on religion. We address one of those initiatives—proposed regulations aimed...more
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently released proposed non-regulatory guidance addressing school district compliance with the requirement that federal funds "supplement, and do not supplant” state and local funds...more
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education published regulations to implement Rosa’s Law, legislation enacted in 2010 to replace the term “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in federal laws. These laws include...more
The U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) recently issued a second Dear Colleague Letter interpreting the Every Student Succeeds Act (“ESSA”), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA”) and...more
As we previously reported, on December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (“ESSA”), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA” or “NCLB”). On December...more
With the House and Senate in recess this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, there are now only a very limited number of scheduled legislative days left for the year – 12 in the House and 15 in the Senate – and there is...more
Funding Crisis Averted & New Leadership in the House: A week ago no one could have predicted that the biggest story in Washington this week would not be the last minute avoidance of a government shutdown by passage of a...more
While summer isn’t officially over until September 22, for most here in the nation’s capital the vacations are nearly completed and it is back to work as Congress returns from the long August recess and Labor Day holiday. ...more
After a weekend of fireworks, parades, and apple pie, Congress returns from the Independence Day recess this week with the Senate scheduled to be in session for five weeks and the House of Representatives in session for four...more