These letters are key policy letters and other letters that may be of interest, signed by the Education Secretary or Deputy Secretary and are provided by the Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary.
Letters from 2024
- October 7, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona Regarding COVID Test Distribution
- October 2, 2024—Letter from Deputy Secretary Marten to Chief State School Officers on Arts Education
- September 23, 2024—Secretary’s Cover Letter: A Focus on Improving the FAFSA® Experience
- June 18, 2024—Joint Letter from Secretary Cardona and Secretary Blinken regarding World Refugee Day
- June 17, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding the Government of Puerto Rico's Initiative for Decentralization of Education and Autonomy of Regions (IDEAR). Also available En Español.
- May 3, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding antisemitism on college campuses.
- April 9, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona to schools regarding the Better FAFSA rollout
- March 26, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona to State Governors regarding the transition to the Better FAFSA
- March 22, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding student attendance and engagement
- March 15, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona to Presidents, Chancellors, and CEOs on 2024-25 FAFSA processing updates
- February 26, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding support for prioritizing early school success
- January 25, 2024—Letter from Secretary Cardona on New Resource for School Administrators on Importance of Safe Firearm Storage
Letters from 2023
- November 20, 2023—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding academic success and mastery of grade-level standards
- November 6, 2023—Joint Letter with Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack on affordable health insurance through Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or the Affordable Care Act
- October 30, 2023—Joint Letter with Director Rahul Gupta of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Director on the fentanyl overdose epidemic
- September 19, 2023—Dear Colleague Letter regarding support for Medicaid reenrollment of students
- September 6, 2023—Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding school districts' responsibilities to serve immigrant students
- June 16, 2023—Joint Letter with Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS regarding support for young people impacted by gun violence
- May 15, 2023—Letter from Secretary Cardona on updated guidance regarding constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools
- May 10, 2023—Letter from Secretary Cardona encouraging use of Federal Word Study (FWS) and other federal programs to increase student support roles in schools
- March 24, 2023—Letter from Secretary Cardona calling for an end to corporal punishment in schools
- March 13, 2023—Joint Letter from Secretary Blinken and Secretary Cardona Regarding U.S. Department of State's Exchange Visitor Secondary School Student Programs
- February 6, 2023—Secretary's letter to education leaders about Raise the Bar, the Department of Education's priorities for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade
Letters from 2022
- December 6, 2022—Letter from Deputy Secretary regarding how Federal funds can support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education
- November 14, 2022—Letter from Secretary on addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on college and career preparation opportunities and the ability of students to successfully transition into postsecondary education
- August 31, 2022—Joint Letter with Secretary Martin Walsh of DOL regarding a Sustainable Teacher Workforce
- July 29, 2022—Joint Letter with Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS regarding Federal Resources for Student Mental Health
- July 19, 2022—Letter from Secretary on School Discipline
- June 27, 2022—Joint Letter with Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS regarding COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children
- March 24, 2022—Joint Letter with Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS to Governors regarding School Based Health Services
- February 9, 2022—Secretary's letter regarding military-connected students and families (MIC3)
- January 12, 2022—Secretary's letter regarding resources to assist schools with COVID-19 testing
Letters from 2021
- July 6, 2021—Secretary's letter regarding Vaccinations, Screening Testing, and Summer Learning and Enrichment Opportunities
- February 27, 2021—Acting Secretary's Letter to Matthew Miller, Acting Commissioner for the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Department of the Treasury, requesting and recommending an exemption for small business owners, currently delinquent on a Federal student loan, to obtain loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Letters from 2020
- September 28, 2020—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers regarding equitable services under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- September 3, 2020—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers regarding administering summative assessments during the 2020-21 school year
- March 20, 2020—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers regarding waiver of assessment and accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) during COVID-19 national emergency
- January 16, 2020—Secretary’s letter to Chief State School Officers regarding constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools
Letters from 2019
Letters from 2018
- September 20, 2018—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers regarding recent federally declared disasters
Letters from 2017
- September 20, 2017—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers regarding recent federally declared disasters
- March 13, 2017—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers about State templates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- February 10, 2017—Secretary's letter to Chief State School Officers about State plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Letters from 2016
- November 22, 2016—Secretary's letter to Governors and Chief State School Officers about eliminating the use of corporal punishment in schools
- November 18, 2016—Letter about advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education
- November 16, 2016—Letter about correctional education and reentry support programs
- September 16, 2016—Secretary King's back to school message to principals and teachers
- September 8, 2016—Letter to Chief State School Officers and Superintendents about School Resource Officers and school discipline
- July 27, 2016—Letter to Chief State School Officers about the educational rights of homeless children and youths under the McKinney-Vento Act
- July 26, 2016—Letter to Chief State School Officers about information and resources to guard against viruses spread by mosquitoes such as the Zika virus disease
- July 13, 2016—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding using federal funds to improve student outcomes in the humanities