August 2026 Policy News Round-Up

The RISE Act and the 21st Century Dyslexia Act both make movements in the Senate, the Department of Health and Human Services moves to change Head Start standards, and the Department of Education issues new guidance on disparate student outcomes. See what else NCLD engaged on this month.

~Authored by Sebastian Leff, NCLD Young Adult Council Member

The RISE Act Clears Major Milestone in the Senate 

The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has advanced the Respond Innovate Succeed and Empower (RISE) Act by a unanimous vote. One of NCLD’s legislative priorities over the past decade, this bill amends the Higher Education Act to streamline accommodations and reduce barriers for college students with disabilities. The RISE Act requires postsecondary institutions to accept existing documentation, such as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504 plans, and professional evaluations, to qualify as proof of disability when requesting accommodations, and requires schools to publish transparent, accessible documentation policies. The bill also authorizes $10 million for the National Center for Information and Technical Support to provide information to students and faculty and requires data collection on students with disabilities. The bill heads to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate. NCLD has advocated, and will continue to advocate, for passage of the RISE Act. Show your support for the RISE Act here.  

The 21st Century Dyslexia Act Passes Committee Despite Opposition 

In the same Committee markup, the 21st Century Dyslexia Act also advanced out of the Senate HELP Committee despite longstanding concerns raised by NCLD and other disability organizations. NCLD is urging the Senate to oppose efforts to fast-track the bill. The bill would promote a dyslexia identification model that the scientific community has rejected and that 20 states already discourage or prohibit. While NCLD encourages efforts to ensure that students with dyslexia are identified and supported, this bill would disrupt systems already in place to help students. NCLD is urging the Senate to slow down, listen to students, families, educators, and researchers, and work toward legislation they support that is grounded in research. Read NCLD’s full statement here.

HHS Proposes Eliminating Key Federal Head Start Regulations

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed to replace the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the standards that guide all Head Start programs across the country, with substantively fewer requirements. For decades, these requirements have ensured that students with disabilities have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. Among the proposed requirements to be eliminated are requiring programs to give developmental assessments to each child and supporting parents through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Most importantly, it removes the directive that programs cannot turn children away because of a disability or chronic health condition. Federal law requires Head Start programs to have at least 10% of their enrolled students be children with disabilities. However, the proposed changes don’t require Head Start programs to actively recruit children with disabilities. These quality standards are the hallmark of the Head Start program that ensure every child receives an early education and services that promote healthy child development. Without them, Head Start will exist in name only, offering unequal services based on where the child lives. If finalized, these changes would mean that a child could be turned away from Head Start because of a disability. HHS is accepting public comments through October 6th. You can submit your own using this guide. 

USED Calls for Schools to Stop “Racial Balancing” 

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has issued new guidance in a Dear Colleague letter regarding race discrimination and disparate impact in school discipline, calling for schools to “stop racial balancing.” The new guidance states that only intentional discrimination, rather than disparate impact, is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Constitution. This follows the Trump administration’s decision to undo the disparate impact legal theory, a tool popularized under the Obama administration and used to address systemic disparities in student outcomes under seemingly neutral policies. Former federal civil rights attorneys have noted that intentional discrimination cases are more difficult to investigate and prove and expect existing investigations related to disparate impact to be closed or narrowed as a result of the decision. While the Dear Colleague letter isn’t legally binding, it does indicate how this Administration approaches school discipline policies. 

Advocacy Opportunities

NCLD’s Action Center enables you to contact your Members of Congress and make your voice heard on issues important to students with disabilities. 

ICYMI 

• The Department of Education has issued a Dear Colleague letter on educational technology and screen time in schools. 

What We’re Reading:

• As Special Education Enrollment Rises, Schools Face Mounting Costs | Disability Scoop 
• Dyscalculia affects almost as many students as dyslexia. What can districts do? | K-12DIVE
• They grew up with disabilities rights. Now, they’re fighting to keep them | NPR
• First Reading. Then Math. Is the ‘Science of Writing’ Next? | EducationWeek