Federal Updates

We’ve had a variety of good resources come across our desks as groups look to provide real-time information on what proposed policy changes—including funding cuts and gutting USED—will mean, and several of these provide state or local analysis.

On January 29, 2025, the Trump administration issued two executive orders with significant implications for public schools: “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” and “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families.”

Last week, the Trump administration signaled rescission of a 2021 memo by DHS SecretaryAlejandro Mayorkas that designated schools, as well as other community services as“protected areas”. Find answers on what this means for the education community on this page.

Yesterday, the White House budget office announced a federal funding freeze, sparking concerns across the education community. While there is still much to clarify, here’s the latest information we have and how AESA is responding.

FCC released the latest Universal Service Fund monitoring report, using information available as of September 2024. The section specific to E-Rate starts on page 54.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a much-anticipated update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule)–and it is not what the education community was hoping for.

USED’s latest resource, 2025 K-12 Digital Infrastructure Brief: Accessibility, is the fourth installment in a series of resources designed to support educational leaders in creating and sustaining inclusive digital infrastructures.

There are reports that a new memo from the Trump Administration rescinds a 2021 memo by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that designated schools, as well as other community services as “protected areas”. This 2021 rule stated that to the extent possible, ICE agents should not carry out any enforcement activities in these locations.

2025 will usher in significant changes in Washington. However, as some of the oldest and most effective nonpartisan education organizations in the country, AESA and AASA have successfully navigated all combinations of political leadership. The incoming Republican trifecta is no exception. We stand ready to help both Congress and the Trump Administration know better, so they can do better, as it relates to policy and funding that strengthens public schools.

In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a rule that sets technical requirements for state and local governments including public school districts to follow to make sure that their websites and mobile apps are accessible to people with disabilities.