ABC News

A town refuses to give up school’s Native American mascot—and gets Trump’s support

The Trump administration launched an investigation into whether New York officials are discriminating against Massapequa by threatening to withhold funding. The town has refused to comply with a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots.

‘Your position is being abolished’: ED staff get official reduction-in-force notices

%%excerpt%% Over 1,300 federal employees impacted by the Department of Education's March 11 reduction in force just received their official separation notices, according to copies reviewed by ABC News.

Fired, reinstated Education Department employees speak out as agency is dismantled

Two weeks after the Trump administration cut nearly half of the Department of Education’s workforce, former employees describe widespread confusion, shock and uncertainty about the future. Zoom calls and farewell events for affected staff are taking place this week.

School choice programs divide Republicans as Trump moves to eliminate Department of Education

President Trump’s move to eliminate most of the Department of Education and fund school choice programs has divided Republicans. Tennessee Rep. Todd Warner supports less federal control but insists public schools are essential and should remain well-funded.

As Trump’s deadline to eliminate DEI nears, few schools openly rush to make changes

Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes, believing they’re on solid legal ground.

U.S. education agency investigating Denver schools over all-gender bathroom

The U.S. Education Department said Tuesday it was investigating Denver Public Schools for alleged discrimination after the district converted a girl’s restroom on the second floor of a high school into an all-gender restroom while leaving another bathroom exclusive to boys.

Florida educators, students speak out against curriculum changes

Educators, students and advocates across the Florida higher education system spoke out against the recent removal by the state of hundreds of general education courses that touch on race, gender and sexual orientation, calling the restrictions "censorship."

New guidance released for immigrant students ahead of Trump’s second term

As California school districts prepare for the possibility of tougher immigration policies, California Attorney General Rob Bonta offered new guidance for immigrant students and families: the right to a free public education, information required for school enrollment, and confidentiality of personal information.

Schools are cutting bus service for children. Parents are turning to ride-hailing apps

As responsibility for transportation shifts to families, the question of how to replace the traditional yellow bus has become an urgent problem for some, and a spark for innovation.

Native American students miss school at higher rates, it got worse during pandemic

Years after COVID-19 disrupted American schools, nearly every state is still struggling with attendance. But attendance has been worse for Native American students — a disparity that existed before the pandemic and has since grown, according to data collected by The Associated Press.

Parents sue school in Massachusetts after son punished for using AI on paper

The parents of a Massachusetts teenager are suing his high school after they said he was accused of cheating for using an artificial intelligence tool on an assignment.

Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy’s mugshot to social media

A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mugshot of any offender on social media.

Matthew McConaughey shares how his Greenlights Grant Initiative aims to make schools safer

Last July, the McConaugheys co-founded the Greenlights Grant Initiative in a bid to improve school safety by providing school districts with free grant writing services and information on grants, aimed at boosting mental health and security resources in schools.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom nudges school districts to restrict student cellphone use

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending letters to school districts, urging them to restrict students' use of smartphones on campus. And the South Carolina State Board of Education is expected to approve guidelines Tuesday on limiting student phone access.

Georgia superintendent says Black studies course can be taught

Georgia’s Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods now says school districts may teach a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies after all, now that Georgia's attorney general said the state's law against teaching divisive racial concepts specifically exempts such college-level courses.