Alexander, Murray Seek Input on HEA Reauthorization
The Senate education committee is working on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), with all members of the Committee, are seeking comments or suggestions for the Committee's consideration.
Comments are due by Friday, February 23, 2018. Please send comments to [email protected].
Administration Ends Inquires Into Transgender Student Complaints
The Trump administration has scrapped an Obama directive aimed at protecting the rights of transgender students, telling schools in a guidance letter on Wednesday night that the policy has caused a rash of lawsuits nationwide and needs to be reconsidered. The Justice and Education departments said in their two-page guidance letter to schools that the Obama administration's interpretation of federal law - allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms in alignment with their gender identity--did not "undergo any formal public process" prior to its release last year and "has given rise to significant litigation."
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AFT President Weingarten: TRUMP-Devos Budget Poses Lethal Threat to Public Education
"Trump and DeVos gave trillions in tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations, and, in this budget, they are taking billions from kids and public schools-particularly from those kids and schools in communities whose majorities are nonwhite or poor. Far from the softer image DeVos is trying to promote, this is a budget from an administration that is trying to set up public schools to fail.
"By putting forth a budget that includes the same cruel cuts as last year, Trump, DeVos and Vice President Pence show that they have failed to learn anything. This budget:
Eliminates funding for community schools, lower class sizes, and after-school and summer programs;
Strips professional development and training resources for teachers and paraprofessionals;
Makes a mockery of Trump's rhetoric calling for more career and technical education programs;
Eviscerates programs that make college more affordable, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program that enables and encourages thousands to enter into teaching and public service jobs; and
Promotes failed voucher and for-profit strategies that aim to turn public education into an unregulated market.
"Just like DeVos locked us out last week, and with us, the 80,000 people who sent her comments we tried to deliver, Trump and DeVos don't want to listen to what parents, teachers and communities want for their kids and schools."
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