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School (in)Security is our biweekly briefing on the latest school safety news, vetted by Mark Keierleber. Subscribe here.

Happy 2026 鈥� and just like that, we鈥檙e more than a quarter of the way through this century. For news about school safety and students鈥� civil rights, 2025 was one for the history books 鈥�  

A bid to close the Education Department. Hundreds of thousands of deportations. A free-speech crackdown. And much, much more. 

With the new year now underway, I figured I鈥檇 look back to highlight some of the largest news stories in the School (in)Security universe in 2025 that could see major developments over the next 12 months. 

Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown breaches the schoolhouse gate

In an unprecedented response to President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown and its impact on education,  all of its schools for two days this week. The announcement came after immigration authorities reportedly  outside a high school. The Department of Homeland Security denied using tear gas.

The encounter occurred just hours after a federal agent , a 37-year-old mother of three, who a DHS officer shot dead in her car.

Students, families and K-12 schools throughout the country have felt the significant and far-reaching effects of the administration’s militarized mission on U.S. soil, which has resulted in .

Student enrollment plunged after the Trump administration听听against conducting raids at schools, churches and other 鈥渟ensitive locations.鈥� In limited but unprecedented ways, immigration agents听. In Florida, the Pinellas County school district听听in arresting immigrants 鈥� only to quickly backtrack as controversy ensued. 听

While agents have conducted听听across the country, including through visits to schools,听听and are reportedly being held 鈥渁s long as possible to increase the likelihood of deporting them.鈥�

Through it all, school communities across the country have banded together, my colleague Jo Napolitano reported, to send a clear message:听

Looking forward:听The sheer number of agents deployed to Minneapolis,听, and the violence and death that resulted could point to a willingness by the administration to double down on its targeting of cities and schools in the coming year.

DEI became a four-letter word

Following a presidential campaign that centered on anti-immigrant and anti-transgender rhetoric, Trump made good on a promise with an order barring diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools. And, about as quickly,听听In April, federal judges blocked the Education Department鈥檚 effort to withhold federal money from schools that didn鈥檛 pledge to carry out the Trump administration鈥檚 interpretation of anti-discrimination laws.听

In December, the Department of Health and Human Services released a set of sweeping regulations designed to听, a move that advocates warned puts lives at risk. Iowa, meanwhile, became the first state in the country to听听from transgender and nonbinary people.

Perhaps most consequential is the Trump administration鈥檚 efforts to听听鈥� and its Office for Civil Rights, where thousands of unresolved investigations alleging discrimination in schools based on race and gender were听.

Expect an听听issues moving forward. In December, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an order rescinding a 50-year-old rule that held schools responsible for neutral policies that negatively affect students of a certain race or nationality.

Looking ahead:听The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments next week over whether听听from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity.

PowerSchool is breached 鈥� and millions of documents are leaked

础蹿迟别谤听听in late 2024, Massachusetts teenager Matthew Lane was sentenced to prison for carrying out听听that led to perhaps the largest student data breach in history. Now that Lane has had his day in court, attention has pivoted back to PowerSchool’s culpability in the breach.听

The company has faced lawsuits from dozens of students, parents and school districts over allegations it failed to put adequate safeguards in place to protect troves of sensitive student data.

In a separate complaint, Texas filed suit against the company, charging it听听about the strength of its cyber protections.听

鈥淚f Big Tech thinks they can profit off managing children鈥檚 data while cutting corners on security, they are dead wrong,鈥� Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a media release. 鈥淧arents should never have to worry that the information they provide to enroll their children in school could be stolen and misused.鈥�

The rise of artificial intelligence 鈥� and efforts to keep it contained

Kids fell in love with AI-powered chatbots last year.听. As students turned to AI for help with their homework, for fun and to find romantic partnerships, skeptics warned that young people could grow socially and emotionally disconnected from the humans in their lives. Several lawsuits accused chatbots of leading kids down dark paths 鈥斕�.

On Wednesday, Character.AI and tech giant Google听听filed by parents who said their children harmed themselves after using the startup鈥檚 chatbot.听

听Bipartisan legislation proposed late last year could require chatbot users to verify their age 鈥� and force teens to听.

The murder of conservative pundit and operative Charlie Kirk was met with swift backlash as K-12 teachers, professors and college students were听听celebrating his death. As the Trump administration vowed vengeance on Kirk鈥檚 critics, First Amendment protections for students were听

Meanwhile, in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbot announced an initiative to launch Turning Point USA chapters at all high schools in the state 鈥� and听听if they didn鈥檛 fall in line.

Add to the mix federal听. In September, a federal judge ruled a Trump administration effort to arrest and deport international students based on their pro-Palestinian advocacy was听.

What happens next will play out in the courts:听On Tuesday, the American Federation of Teachers filed听听against the Texas Education Agency听alleging it violated the free speech rights of educators in the wake of Kirk鈥檚 death.

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Emotional Support

Sinead contemplates what鈥檚 to come in 2026 from her perch.

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