10/29/2025

MICHIGAN - Experts warn that recent federal layoffs at the U-S Department of Education could gut key protections for children with disabilities.

In March, roughly half of the department’s 42-hundred positions were eliminated, and a new proposal would slash nearly 500 more, largely wiping out the Office of Special Education Programs, or OSEP. Josh Cowen, an education policy professor at Michigan State University, says the move could leave families without critical support.

0:10  "It's the U.S. Department of Education, historically, at least over the last 40 years, that has been in charge of being kind of the last round of defense for those kids when they aren't getting what they need."

Federal officials contend the layoffs are necessary in order to streamline operations, reduce bureaucracy, and redistribute special education work to agencies such as Health and Human Services while maintaining current funding levels.

10/29/2025

MADISON - The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Transportation is discussing a bill that would make school bus safety education mandatory for the curriculum for students taking driver’s education.  This bill would require instructors to teach on the school bus lights and their meaning, student crossing roadway variation requirements, such as a divided highway and stopped school buses.  Although some instructors teach school bus safety, there’s currently no requirement that drivers understand it when getting a license.

10/29/2025

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ sweeping plan for overhauling the state’s aging prison system is moving forward with bipartisan support despite complaints from Republican lawmakers that their concerns were not being addressed. The bipartisan state building commission on Tuesday approved spending $15 million to move ahead with planning for the Evers proposal. Republicans say their ideas were ignored and Evers' plan is not realistic.