Brice Christianson is using his experience as a Child of Deaf Adults to open up sports broadcasting to the Deaf community through live ASL play-by-plays.
The post This Wisconsin native is working to broadcast hockey games for people in the Deaf community appeared first on WPR.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, speaks during a 2020 news conference in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Two top Democrats on a U.S. House panel Tuesday pushed back against “unprecedented” Trump administration guidance that they said essentially encourages states to try to bypass requirements on how they spend federal money intended to help people find job training and support — potentially opening states up to lawsuits.
The Democrats, in a letter provided exclusively to States Newsroom, said the U.S. Department of Labor is urging states to use waivers provided under the main federal workforce development law to disregard statutory requirements on how they spend money for employment activities.
Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia and Alma Adams of North Carolina — the respective ranking members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development — urged Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to “immediately revoke” the agency’s guidance, issued to state workforce agencies, administrators and other entities back in November.
One of the main purposes of the workforce law, they observed, is to increase access to jobs for people with disabilities, older people and people who are homeless. The waivers suggested by the department would let states reel back their efforts to serve those groups of people, the Democrats said.
“We are deeply concerned that waiving these requirements under the guise of ‘innovation’ and ‘modernization’ will only incentivize the workforce system to stop doing what it is legally required to do: serve those with barriers to employment,” they wrote.
The guidance from the department’s Employment and Training Administration calls on states to “request waivers of existing (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) statutory or regulatory requirements that can help overcome specific barriers to innovation and align with the five strategic pillars for workforce investment.”
The 2014 law, known as WIOA, aims to boost the public workforce system and help those seeking jobs — particularly people who face barriers to employment — access training, employment and support services. The Labor secretary has the authority to waive certain statutory requirements under WIOA, though with certain limitations.
Scott and Adams argued that many of the suggested waivers in the guidance “would allow states to reduce their efforts to serve individuals with barriers to employment, directly contradicting WIOA’s purpose.”
President Donald Trump’s administration in August 2025 unveiled a workforce development strategy, through the departments of Labor, Commerce and Education, consisting of five “strategic pillars.”
The strategy stemmed from Trump’s April 2025 executive order, part of which sought to “consolidate and streamline fragmented Federal workforce development programs that are too disconnected from propelling workers into secure, well-paying, and high-need American jobs.”
But the Democrats said the use of WIOA’s general waiver authority as a method for achieving the administration’s policy goals surrounding workforce development is without precedent.
“Upon review of all past approved waivers, it is clear that waivers were only used in response to discrete challenges that states or local areas faced in meeting some of the requirements stipulated under WIOA, either because of extenuating circumstances or for individual state efforts at reforms, not to achieve the Administration’s policy goals,” they wrote.
Scott and Adams instead called on Chavez-DeRemer to work with Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that seeks to modernize WIOA.
That measure would need to be reintroduced. The House passed it in April 2024, during the previous session of Congress, but the Senate did not.
The Department of Labor confirmed receipt of the letter Wednesday, but did not respond to a message seeking comment on its contents.
Our first issue of 2026 brings the focus back to transportation of students with special needs and disabilities. Learn more about leveraging camera technology for student safety and driver training, Medicaid reimbursement management, the considerations of using non-yellow school bus vehicles for student transportation and the details on new securement technology for students with disabilities and how to train staff to use it correctly. Also read articles on targeting sexual assault onboard school buses and the multi-faceted approach needed to build and retain student transportation teams that are prepared for the wide variety of student needs.
Find more information about our upcoming 2026 conferences in the magazine as well as a recap of the 2025 TSD Conference!
Read the full January 2026 issue.
Features
Navigating the Complexities
The arduous task of tracking students and routes for Medicaid reimbursement can be off-putting. However, software companies are highlighting the benefits of how technology can help with documenting and reporting.
Smaller Options
Switching to alternative transportation vehicles like vans and SUVs for students with disabilities is beneficial in some circumstances, but at what cost?
Secure & Ensure
As securement devices for students with disabilities become more specialized, ensuring transportation staff are trained in securing them properly inside the school bus is a top safety element.
Special Reports
Eagle Eye on Student Transportation Safety
Leveraging camera technology can offer a host of safety solutions, from identifying student behavior issues to detailing driver performance behind the wheel.
Editor’s Take by Ryan Gray
Driving Change in 2026
Thought Leader by Linda Bluth
Sexual Assault on School Transportation Vehicles: A Call for Action
Publisher’s Corner by Tony Corpin
Innovative Staffing & Retention
The post January 2026 appeared first on School Transportation News.
Login