ED Review (06/23/23)

June 23, 2023

FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS

 

Federal student loan interest will resume starting on September 1, 2023, and payments will be due starting in October 2023.  Borrowers will have different dates in October in which their payments will be due.  All borrowers will be notified well before payments restart. 

“We recognize that the return to repayment will result in significant financial hardship for many borrowers.  That is why this Administration also put forward a plan to provide up to $20,000 in debt relief for hard-working Americans recovering from the economic harms of the pandemic, most of whom make less than $75,000 a year, and why we continue to fight for that relief on behalf of the millions of borrowers who need it,” noted a Department spokesperson.  “We will also be in direct touch with borrowers and ramping up our communications with services well before repayment resumes to ensure borrowers and their families are receiving accurate and timely information about the return to repayment.” 

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to deliver a decision on the Administration’s one-time student loan debt relief plan in the coming days. 

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

 

Last week, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced additional actions to advance the efforts and investments under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). 

Specifically, the agencies’ secretaries sent a joint letter to governors delineating resources to help states, communities, and schools support students’ mental health and well-being, particularly students impacted by gun violence.  The letter highlights Education’s investments and capacity-building initiatives that will expand and improve school-based mental health services, address community violence, provide wrap-around services, and promote a safe and supportive school climate.  The letter also outlines HHS’s programs to support the development of school-based mental health supports, prepare and train school personnel, emergency responders, law enforcement, and others to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health impacts from gun violence, and increase treatment and support services for individuals and communities affected by trauma, including trauma caused by gun violence. 

The agencies are collaborating on BSCA implementation because young people are facing unprecedented challenges and disruptions in their school lives and communities, including increased disconnection and social isolation, as well as increased gun violence.  These challenges have had devastating impacts on students’ mental health and well-being, which, in turn, have profound implications for academic success and overall life outcomes.  The agencies’ further actions help extend the impact of BSCA in keeping communities safe, bringing new protections and resources to bear in addressing the mental health crisis (so that all students may learn freely and safely every day) and curbing gun violence. 

Meanwhile, marking the one-year anniversary of BSCA’s passage, President Biden, Secretary Cardona, and other leaders participated in the National Safer Communities Summit in West Hartford, Connecticut.  See:

• President Biden’s remarks and video;
• Secretary Cardona’s remarks and video excerpt; and
• Secretary Cardona’s Twitter thread, featuring powerful commentary by Principal Recovery Network members. 

ONLINE FOR ALL

 

Also last week, more than 300 national and local organizations joined the Education Department and Civic Nation to launch Online for All, a digital equity campaign working to close the digital divide by focusing on internet access, affordability, and equity for students and families (press release and fact sheet). 

The groups kicked off a Week of Action to drive enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).  An estimated 28 million households in the U.S. do not have high-speed internet at home, and two-thirds of these households are offline because they need help affording an available internet connection.  The ACP, created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, significantly reduces the cost of internet, and millions more eligible households could still benefit. 

Secretary Cardona launched the Week of Action by headlining a virtual event, alongside the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), on providing educators with the tools they need to educate families about this opportunity and keep students connected over the summer. 

Vice President Harris also released a video encouraging families to sign up for the ACP at GetInternet.gov. 

MEDICAID AND CHIP RENEWALS 

HHS recently announced new flexibilities to help keep Americans covered as states resume Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renewals.  These flexibilities were spelled out in a letter to governors, urging them to minimize avoidable coverage losses among children and families.  “Nobody who is eligible for Medicaid or CHIP should lose coverage simply because they changed addresses, didn’t receive a form, or didn’t have enough information about the renewal process,” emphasized HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. 

States have varied in the number and type of flexibilities adopted to date. 

Secretary Becerra expressed particular concern that children may lose coverage.  He urged states to work with local governments, community-based organizations, schools, faith-based organizations and leaders, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other entities that can help families understand program eligibility process, citing Chicago Public Schools’ direct assistance to families as an innovative example of engagement.  “I am asking that we redouble efforts, expand what is working, and reach out even further,” he said, “to ensure that no eligible beneficiary experiences a loss in coverage that could have been avoided.” 

For more information, download HHS’s “All Hands on Deck” fact sheet and partner call to action. 

SCHOOL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS 

Since February, the Education Department has invited national, regional, and local businesses, foundations, and non-profit and community-based organizations to share bold commitments to advance school sustainability, encompassing infrastructure, health, environmental sustainability education, climate, and environmental justice.  Over 30 organizations have made commitments, demonstrating a wide range and scope of actions needed to ensure sustainable schools for all students.  Visit the agency’s Homeroom blog for sample commitments. 

Organizations may still participate by completing an online form, preferably addressing at least one of these parameters: environmental justice, health, climate action, capacity-building, data collection and standardization, and transparency and goal-setting. 

Separately, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed guidance on elective pay and transferability mechanisms established under the Inflation Reduction Act that would help state, local, tribal, and territory governments, non-profits, and other entities access clean energy tax credits. 

Additionally, Vice President Harris -- joined by Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten -- offered remarks at a young climate leaders convening in Denver, underscoring the Administration’s historic investment in combatting the climate crisis and creating a clean energy economy that works for all. 

ODDS AND ENDS 

• For Juneteenth, President Biden issued a proclamation and Secretary Cardona recorded a video.
• Both also commented (1 and 2) on the anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
• Another important anniversary: Title IX became law on June 23, 1972, as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 (video).
• For its latest #ThankYouThursday, the Department called for students to “take the summer to rest & recharge -- but remember to keep learning!”
• Last week, the Secretary was the graduation speaker at two high schools in his home town of Meriden, Connecticut, including where he graduated 30 years ago (news articles 1 and 2 and tweet).
• Then, over the weekend, the Secretary led the U.S. delegation to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany (photos).
• This week, the Secretary visited the Dakotas to discuss rural education, support for tribal schools, and career and technical education programs (photo).
• The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division jointly issued resources: “Protecting Access to Education for Migratory Children” and “Protecting Access to Education for Unaccompanied Children.”
• OCR also released a fact sheet concerning access to advanced or specialized educational programs by students who are English Learners.
• And, as part of a special Pride Month event, the Department issued a toolkit on creating inclusive and non-discriminatory school environments for LGBTQI+ students.
• The Department announced more than $8 million in grants across three initiatives for Native students.
• The Maryland State Department of Education joined the National Partnership for Student Success via its new Maryland Tutoring Corps Grant Program, which aims to enhance student math proficiency.
• The Secretary issued a statement on the 2023 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend assessment results for 13-year-olds (Secretary’s Twitter thread).
• Federal Student Aid (FSA) Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray was featured in a Forbes.com article about career- and trade-related education and credentials.  The article stems from Cordray’s multi-city postsecondary school tour to spotlight education programming for high-demand careers.  The tour is raising awareness about FSA’s efforts to help students and families explore all options for education after high school.
• The Administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions details the actions that administrative agencies plan to issue in the near and long term. 

QUOTE TO NOTE 

“Let me be clear: a lock on a door is no match for an AR-15.  And don’t get me started on the politicians pushing us to arm teachers.  These are the same politicians who don’t trust teachers to choose the right books, and now they want to trust them with guns in our classrooms?  Give me a break!  School safety is about more than metal detectors and security cameras.  Students need to feel safe enough to share what’s going on in their lives, so that we can address that trauma before the despair takes over.  So that we can intervene and prevent violence before it strikes.  This is critical, especially in communities struggling with gun violence on a daily basis.  We’re talking about evidence-based approaches that improve behavioral and academic outcomes by making students feel safer, accepted, and protected in our schools.” 

-- Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (6/12/23), from remarks at the National Safer Communities Summit 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Registration remains open for the fifth virtual session in the Family Engagement Learning Series, June 27 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, which will explore how family engagement supports kindergarten readiness and early school success. 

The Department’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) is hosting a series of equity webinars.  Register today for the next session -- June 27 at 2 p.m. ET.  This webinar will focus on economic mobility for LGBTQI+ youth. 

Registration is also open for the 2023 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference, September 24-28. 

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