U.S. Department of Education
Biden administration pressures Florida Gov. DeSantis over school mask policies
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has written Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis saying that if his administration withholds state funding from school districts that enact mask mandates, those schools can use federal coronavirus relief dollars to make up for the penalties. In a letter to DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote […]
Biden extends freeze on student loan payments to Jan. 31
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Friday afternoon that it is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments until January of next year, as the delta variant of the coronavirus surges across the country. “As our nation’s economy continues to recover from a deep hole, this final extension will give students and borrowers the […]
Republican AGs object to U.S. Department of Education proposal on teaching about racism
WASHINGTON — More than two dozen Republican attorneys general including Ohio’s Dave Yost are voicing their disapproval over the Department of Education’s proposed priorities for teaching K-12 students about American history and civics education because they would include references to systemic racism and how the history of slavery has shaped the U.S. The state attorneys general argue in […]
Senate confirms Cardona as education secretary
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Miguel Cardona to lead the U.S. Department of Education in a 64-33 vote. Cardona, a longtime educator from Connecticut, will be tasked with helping schools reopen during the pandemic and leading the $68 billion agency. “There is no one better suited for this job in this moment than Miguel […]
With no waiver of federal testing, legislators still weigh state testing
A bill to pause state testing for another year due to the impact of COVID-19 has been made more complicated by a Biden administration decision made this week. The part of the bill that would request a waiver of federal testing was rendered moot after an announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that they […]
Biden nominees for education and labor posts approved by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — Miguel Cardona was one step closer to leading the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee moved his nomination to the full Senate for a vote. The panel voted 17-5. Senators also voted 18-4 to advance the nomination of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to serve […]
Biden picks former public school teacher as secretary of Education
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday formally introduced his nominee for secretary of Education — Miguel Cardona, a veteran of public schools and the third Latino selected for the Cabinet. “We knew we needed an education secretary who truly understands what it’s been like for educators, administrators, families, caregivers and students this past year,” Biden […]
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heads for the exits, leaving a legacy of turmoil
WASHINGTON — In four years in office, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos failed to broaden her appeal beyond the moment she won a wild Senate confirmation fight by the closest of margins. She didn’t even try. Instead, the billionaire Michigan native and Republican megadonor championed private and charter schools, often trying to funnel federal funding […]
Ohio colleges scramble to explain sweeping new DeVos rules on sexual misconduct
WASHINGTON — Ohio colleges welcoming some students to campus this fall despite the pandemic face a second major challenge. They also must put in place major new federal rules on campus sexual assault and misconduct that extend added rights to the accused. Aligning university policies with the new federal regulations — while also overhauling health and safety […]
Universities get aid they can’t share with DACA students
WASHINGTON — Colleges and universities across the country are getting emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the emergency grants — part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief act that Congress approved last month — can’t go to undocumented […]
DeVos finalizes sexual assault rules that critics say ‘roll back the clock’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos finalized rules Wednesday that the administration says will improve due process in campus sexual assault cases, but that critics warn could discourage victims from coming forward. The new regulations expand rights for people accused of sexual misconduct on college campuses and make other changes to federal regulations governing schools’ obligations to […]
Dems berate Betsy DeVos at heated Capitol Hill hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats tore into the Trump administration’s annual budget request for the Department of Education at a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday. The administration’s proposal to slash the department’s budget in the next fiscal year is dead on arrival and amounts to an effort to privatize public education, they said. The target of […]