On July 1, 2025, the United States Department of Education (“USDE”) announced its unprecedented decision to withhold over $6 billion in federal K-12 grant funds, just one day before states were scheduled to receive their disbursements. According to the USDE, the funds are being held pending review of program alignment and funding decisions for the upcoming fiscal year. The affected programs … [Read more...] about Federal Withholding of Over $6 Billion in K-12 Grants Poses Immediate Challenges for School Districts
School Law Bullet
SCOTUS Rules for Parents in Mahmoud v. Taylor
The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision on Friday June 27, 2025, which ruled in favor of parents, allowing them to opt their children out of certain LGBTQ+ curriculum materials in Montgomery County, Maryland. What will this decision mean for your school? In the majority decision by Justice Alito, the Court ruled that a school board’s introduction of LGBTQ+ inclusive storybooks, along with the … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Rules for Parents in Mahmoud v. Taylor
U.S. District Court Dismisses Norwin School District School Board Members’ First Amendment Lawsuit Against Norwin School District and Former Superintendent
On May 29, 2025, a federal judge out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania dismissed a Norwin School Board member’s lawsuit filed against the Norwin School District (“District”)and its former superintendent alleging First Amendment violations. Background in the Case On October 25, 2022, the school board member posted a satirical meme on the Norwin Area … [Read more...] about U.S. District Court Dismisses Norwin School District School Board Members’ First Amendment Lawsuit Against Norwin School District and Former Superintendent
SCOTUS Blocks Public Funding for Religious Charter School
On April 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) heard oral arguments in the consolidated cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. Then on May 22, 2025, the deadlocked SCOTUS rejected St. Isidore’s efforts to become the nation’s first religious charter school. Facts in the … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Blocks Public Funding for Religious Charter School
SCOTUS Decision Makes It Easier for Parents to Support Claim for Compensatory Damages Under the ADA and Section 504
In a unanimous decision this week, the United States Supreme Court overturned a higher standard to be applied in the educational context of a need to show bad faith or gross misjudgment by school personnel in order to support a claim for compensatory damages under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA. What does this decision mean for your school? The Supreme Court held that, in the … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Decision Makes It Easier for Parents to Support Claim for Compensatory Damages Under the ADA and Section 504
States Secure Order Restoring Federal Education Funding
On May 6, 2025, Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a Preliminary Injunction Order, barring the United States Department of Education from blocking States’ access to American Rescue Plan Act funding. What practical impact will the Preliminary Injunction Order have on Pennsylvania school districts, charter schools, intermediate units, … [Read more...] about States Secure Order Restoring Federal Education Funding
