ABC News

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.

Public school educators are calling for a post-pandemic reset. Can it be done?

One prominent educator told ABC that "public education is on life support." Another said the greatest current education challenge is the need for it to "reset," which the educator projected could take five to 10 years to achieve.

Georgia’s largest school district won’t teach Black studies course without state approval

The 183,000-student Gwinnett County district says the state Department of Education's refusal to approve the course means its students would be cheated out of credit for the difficulty of the work.

Organizers expect enough signatures to ask Nebraska voters to repeal private school funding law

It's the second time in a year public school advocates have had to carry out a signature-gathering effort to try to reverse a legislative measure to use public money for private school tuition.

Want to show teachers appreciation? This top school gives them more freedom

Superintendent Joel Herbs calls the A.D. Henderson School faculty his “secret sauce” and argues the school’s success can be duplicated anywhere—if administrators cede some control.

Expanded so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ education restrictions advance in Alabama

A bill aimed at furthering restrictions on discussions of "gender identity or sexual orientation" in public schools is progressing in the Alabama legislature, passing the state House on Tuesday.