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When Federal Scaffolding Falls: What the Department of Education RIF Means for Special Education

In October 2025, the U.S. Department of Education executed one of the most consequential reductions-in-force (RIF) in its history—466 positions eliminated, including nearly all staff from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)—the federal backbone for IDEA oversight—was effectively dismantled […]

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Supreme Court Term 2025–2026 — Implications for Special Education and Civil Rights

OverviewThe 2025–2026 Supreme Court term begins with a narrowed docket but potentially sweeping implications for K–12 education, particularly in civil rights, Title IX, and First Amendment jurisprudence. Following the end of Chevron deference, federal agencies—including the U.S. Department of Education—face weakened authority to interpret and enforce IDEA, Section 504, and […]

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Supreme Court Case, April 28, 2025

Case Summary: A.J.T. v. Osseo Area SchoolsIssue at Stake:The core question in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools is whether students with disabilities must meet a uniquely high standard—proving “bad faith or gross misjudgment”—to prevail in disability discrimination claims under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with […]