April 2025 Policy News Round-Up

From new Executive Orders to court rulings and pending SCOTUS rulings, learn what’s at stake for individuals with LD and how NCLD has advocated for our communities.

President Trump Issues New Executive Orders Impacting Education
A flurry of Executive Orders (EO) were issued by President Donald Trump on April 23. EOs direct federal agencies to take specific actions within their area of work. The following ones impact K-12 education for students with disabilities:

“Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies”  (Full Text). This EO requires the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue Title VI guidance to school districts and state agencies regarding school discipline that is race-neutral within 30 days of the EO. It also directs USED to “take appropriate action” against school districts and state agencies that fail to comply with that guidance.

“Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy” (Full Text). This EO encourages a color-blind society and seeks to eliminate the “disparate impact” standard which is a long-standing and well-established standard for identifying policies or practices that have an unlawful discriminatory effect under civil rights laws. This EO: 

• Requires the DOJ to work with other agencies to repeal regulations and guidance
• Directs identifying other laws, including state-level, about disparate impact, and report those back to the President. 

In the absence of disparate impact, only “intentional discrimination” claims can be investigated, which can be very hard to prove.

Read NCLD’s response to these two EOs here.

“Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth” (Full Text). This EO aims to promote AI literacy but promotes private vendor growth. It prioritizes supporting and training educators in adopting AI in teaching and learning but relies heavily on federal teacher training grants despite previous efforts by this Administration to eliminate them. 

The IDEA Full Funding Act is Reintroduced, and NCLD Leads Advocacy Efforts for Investments
The IDEA Full Funding Act (S.1277 and H.R.2598) was reintroduced in the 119th Congress, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA). This bill seeks to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) state grants at 40% of the additional cost of educating students with disabilities by increasing funding over a 10-year glidepath. The current federal contribution is 10%.

NCLD and other advocates have requested increased funding levels for IDEA in the FY 2026 appropriations bill: see this letter from the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities.

USED “DEI Ultimatum” for Federal Funding, Later Blocked
In early April, the Office for Civil Rights at USED issued a Dear Colleague letter, essentially issuing an ultimatum for states and districts to certify that they are not implementing “illegal DEI” in order to receive federal funding, including IDEA. Some states refused to sign, and federal judges blocked the Department’s ability to withhold funding for those not signing DEI certifications on April 24.

Significant Court Cases Impacting Students with Disabilities 
NCLD has weighed in on or is monitoring a number of court cases this month that have implications for students with disabilities. These include:

Permitting Religious Charter Schools 
On April 30th, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear oral arguments for two high-profile cases about whether charter schools can be religious. Oklahoma Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. NCLD joined an amicus brief supporting public charter schools and how a ruling siding with the religious schools would draw funds away from traditional public and public charter schools and harm students with disabilities in particular.

Rights to Sue Schools for Discrimination
Ruling in favor of the schools in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools could make it much harder for families of students with disabilities to sue schools for discrimination under the ADA or Section 504. Oral arguments began on April 28th. Read a more comprehensive overview of this case and its implications for disabled students from our Center for American Progress partners here.

Supreme Court Allowed Freeze in Teacher Training Federal Grants
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on April 4th to allow the Trump Administration to proceed with the termination of Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grants. NCLD had previously filed Amicus Briefs defending educator grant programs: see our statements on April 9th and March 31st.

Section 504 Lawsuits Dropped
A constitutional challenge against Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will no longer be pursued in a lawsuit filed by 17 states last year. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, challenging a rule about the definition of disability and arguing that Section 504 was unconstitutional.

Join Our Advocacy Efforts!
NCLD’s Action Center enables you to contact your Members of Congress and make your voice heard on issues important to students with disabilities. Sign up and take action today!

What We’re Reading:

• NPR: Families say school civil rights investigations have stalled after federal cuts.
• New York Times: The pandemic is not the only reason U.S. students are losing ground.
• Government Accountability Office: Employment outcomes and views of former subminimum wage workers.