Federal judge holds off on blocking new Title IX rule

New International Students Barred From All-Online Classes

U.S. immigration officials have issued new guidance saying new international students -- unlike current international students -- cannot come to the U.S. to take an entirely online course of study. However, while one expert noted a lack of clarity on this point, the guidance issued Friday by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program seems to affirm that new international students may enroll in hybrid programs consisting of a mix of in-person and online courses, as long as their coursework is not "100 percent online." It also says that students will not be at risk of deportation if their institutions switch from an in-person or hybrid mode to an online-only mode in the middle of the term due to the pandemic. Read more >>

 

Ed Dept official: Don't expect testing waivers this year

 

U.S. Education Chief Betsy DeVos Downplays Risk of Opening Schools

The top U.S. education official downplayed the risk of reopening schools in the fall, a high priority of President Donald Trump, and repeated a threat to cut funding to schools that don't fully resume in-person learning as educators wrestle with the risk of coronavirus. Read more >>

Legal Challenges on Many Fronts

Four lawsuits have been filed against new Department of Education regulations for how colleges must respond to sexual misconduct on campus. The lawsuits question the merits of the regulations and seek to block their implementation. Read more >>

 

Ed Department Civil Rights Head to Step Down

Kenneth Marcus, assistant secretary for civil rights for the U.S. Department of Education, will step down from his position at the end of the month, a news release from the department said. Read more >>

 

Educators Prepare for Reopening with Living Wills and Life Insurance

As school districts and college campuses get ready for the school year, and as COVID-19 cases rise across the U.S., anxious educators have a message for administrators and lawmakers: We want to teach our students, but we don't want to die doing it. Read more >>

Senate Republicans Introduce the HEALS Act for Coronavirus Pandemic Relief

On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, backed by Senate Republicans as their opening bid for "Phase 4" economic relief ahead of negotiations with Senate and House Democrats. Phase 4 relief is the anticipated follow-up legislation to the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was enacted on March 27th. Read more >>

 

Student Loan Relief, Childcare Grants Included in GOP Stimulus

Americans burdened by student loans and childcare operators struggling to stay open amid the pandemic would get some relief under the Senate Republican virus relief package. People with outstanding student loans will not have to make payments while they are out of work, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander said Monday as he introduced the plan. When they return to work, their payments will be capped at 10% of their income after living expenses, such as housing and food, are deducted, he said. Read more >>

 

Democrat Can Play the Interim Relief Game, Too

The House would help the economy and score political points by voting to extend expiring benefits as Senate Republicans quarrel ad dither. What's the next steps for House Democrats? Senate Republicans have finally agreed internal on their opening bid for the next pandemic economic relief and stimulus bill, but there is zero chance that the parties can resolve their difference before two imminent deadlines pass: The expanded unemployment insurance payments put in place by bipartisan legislation in March and an eviction ban for public housing will end this week. Read more >>

 

40 million Americans face student loan cliff: Unless Congress or the administration intervenes, monthly loan payments paused due to the pandemic will come due for tens of millions of borrowers.

The federal government's emergency relief for more than 40 million student loan borrowers is set to expire at the end of September, amid sky-high levels of unemployment and an overall economy still stifled by rising coronavirus cases. Read more >>

Women's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor:

Opportunity to Help More Women Enter Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations

On July 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor and Women's Bureau  announced the availability of $4.1 million to support two-year grants for the 2020 Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program.

At the Women's Bureau, working to ensure that women have access and opportunity to employment in all industries is one of our top priorities. Since 2017,  the Women's Bureau has awarded nearly $4.4 million to 11 community-based organizations throughout the country that help women pursue apprenticeships and provide technical assistance to employers and labor unions to successfully recruit, mentor, train, and retain women in apprenticeships and nontraditional occupations.

Through quality apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, women have access to sustainable, successful, and high-paying careers in industries such as manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and healthcare.

This year,  the WANTO grant program will award $4.1 million to up to 11 community-based organizations that support women pursuing apprenticeships and nontraditional occupations. The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is August 3, 2020. Applications must be submitted electronically and received no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Hard copy applications will not be accepted.

For more information about the 2020 WANTO program priorities, evaluation factors, and how to apply, read the  2020 Funding Opportunity Announcement, the  news release, and the  FAQs.