The U.S. Department of Education launched a new initiative focused on how schools respond to teacher sexual misconduct allegations and prevent educators from moving to new positions without discipline. The initiative is framed around “passing the trash” practices—reassigning or allowing accused employees to relocate—potentially enabling continued harm. The Department issued guidance tied to districts’ legal obligations under federal education laws, including Title IX and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It also cited past GAO findings and reporting that suggested misconduct-related license actions may not track district determinations in some cases. Separately, reporting on early childhood attendance points to chronic absenteeism concentrated in kindergarten, with Colorado’s rates highlighted and schools using behaviorally oriented incentives to improve attendance. While K–12-focused, the attendance challenge has downstream effects on early learning readiness that can shape later academic support demand. For universities with education schools, these developments point to renewed scrutiny around field placements, mandatory reporting training, and the accountability systems that shape school workforce quality and student safety.