On April 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule in the Federal Register extending the deadline for public entities, including public schools and institutions of higher education, to comply with new website accessibility standards under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Catch Up Quick

  • The regulations were finalized under the Biden administration in April 2024, with a compliance deadline of April 2026 or April 2027, depending on the jurisdiction’s population (not an institution’s enrollment). Those jurisdictions with 50,000+ people were facing a Friday, April 24, 2026 deadline—today.
  • Compliance involves adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, and ensuring the accessibility of all web content and mobile apps. These days, that’s just about everything, so it’s easier to assume it’s covered unless the content meets a narrow exception, like pre-existing social media posts or archived content.

The extension came just four days before the compliance deadline established in 2024. The late action is not typical and requires the DOJ to assert an exception to the normal Administrative Procedure Act (APA) rulemaking process. The IFR provides an engaging narrative about why this was necessary due to “circumstances outside of the Department’s and covered entities’ control.”

ED’s interim final rule pushes the deadline back a year—to April 2027 for jurisdictions with 50K+ people and April 2028 for public entities in smaller jurisdictions (all based on the 2020 U.S. Census). DOJ said it believes that the deadline extensions “will lead to greater predictability and certainty as covered entities work towards accessibility… [and] lead to greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities.”

Why it Matters

The deadline extensions come as a major relief for K-12 and higher ed institutions alike. According to the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), compliance efforts are a huge investment—involving billions of dollars and countless man hours—and institutions that were at risk of not meeting the original deadline would have been exposed to ADA-based litigation, which includes a private right of action.

“The extension is not an invitation to wait. Public entities and their vendors still have to comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA. It simply provides more time to do that work thoroughly while relieving the concerns about litigation for non-compliance.”

David DeSchryver, Senior Vice President and Co-director of Research, Whiteboard Advisors

What’s Next

The interim final rule is open for public comment through June 22, 2026. Regardless of the contents of the public comment, DOJ is expected to remain firm on extending its deadlines.

This article is sourced from Whiteboard Notes, our weekly newsletter of the latest education policy and industry news read by thousands of education leaders, investors, grantmakers, and entrepreneurs. Subscribe here.