Federal Updates

The Biden Administration withdrew their proposal to streamline Medicaid reimbursement for schools in late December. The proposed rule would have only required districts to notify parents that they are billing Medicaid for IDEA-related services.

The Funding Year (FY) 2025 FCC Form 471 application filing window will open on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 12:00 noon ET and will close on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

USED and HHS released Non-Regulatory Guidance Supporting High-Quality Preschool with Title I Funds: Guidance to Local Educational Agencies and Schools on Implementing the Required Head Start Program Performance Standards for Title I-Funded Preschool Programs.

AESA, through the Federal Education Privacy Coalition is co-chairs, joined 11 other national organizations in a letter expressing support for passing COPPA 2.0 before year’s end.

The Social Security Administration released a Dear Colleague Letter for the release of their School Professionals and Survivors Benefits Toolkits, designed to help increase awareness of their benefit programs.

AESA and AASA are joining forces to collect stories and anecdotes about E-Rate usage in ESAs and schools nationwide. This effort is critical to supporting the amicus brief for the upcoming Supreme Court case on E-Rate. 

As you may recall–the Senate passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) in July, incorporating two major student and child privacy bills–the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teen’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). The House Energy & Commerce Committee passed different versions of KOSA and COPPA 2.0 in September, leaving questions about how these bills would proceed.

As we head into the new year, new Congress and new administration, we are also bracing for a significant case impacting education that will be before the Supreme Court in its 2025 term. And its all about E-Rate.

On November 14, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a new resource, Frequently Asked Privacy-Related Questions About Filing a Complaint with OCR.

On November 14, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a new resource, Frequently Asked Privacy-Related Questions About Filing a Complaint with OCR.