A coalition of 16 states is suing the Trump administration over the cancellation of more than $1 billion in “bipartisan mental health funding” for students in low-income and rural communities. The lawsuit, filed Monday, accuses the government of breaching grant agreements and violating federal regulations, “leaving schools and students to suffer the consequences,” according to the states.
Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin are suing the Department of Education for “illegally cutting congressionally approved funding” for mental health programs in K-12 schools.
“The tragic events of the Uvalde school shooting prompted a bipartisan Congress to dramatically increase the historical funding levels for the programs and ensure future funds would be available through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” the AGs wrote in a 48-page complaint filed in Washington’s Western District.
“On or about April 29 … the Department decided to discontinue program grants based on an alleged conflict with the current Administration’s priorities,” the complaint stipulates. “The Department implemented its Non-Continuation Decision by sending boilerplate notices to plaintiffs claiming that their grants conflicted with the Trump Administration’s priorities and would not be continued.”
According to the states, department officials plan to repurpose program funds “based on new priorities.” The department sent notices to plaintiffs’ grantees, which included state and local education agencies, as well as higher education institutions.
The department provided “little to no insight into the basis for the discontinuance,” while allegedly destroying projects “years in the making,” according to the states.
“Defendants’ unlawful actions have already caused and will cause immediate and devastating harm to plaintiffs,” stated the complaint’s accusations.
“Starting this fall, many schools in Plaintiff states will no longer be able to reliably provide mental health services to the kids that need them most,” according to the document. “These discontinuances threaten the very purpose of these Programs — to protect the safety of our children by permanently increasing the number of mental health professionals providing mental health services to students in low-income and rural schools.”
The states claim that if the cuts are not reversed, local educational agencies will be forced to lay off “the very same professionals” who were recruited and hired to provide mental health services with program funds.
Institutes of higher education will also be affected, according to the states, with financial support for graduate student internships being eliminated.
“As a result, hundreds of graduate students will make the difficult choice whether they should enter or continue a graduate program no longer able to offer tuition assistance — drying up a workforce pipeline Congress recognized needed development,” according to the complaint!
Attorneys general from the states suing the department issued statements Monday and Tuesday applauding the collaboration. Each state claims to be losing millions in grants as a result of the mental health funding cuts.
“I cannot think of a more important priority than ensuring that children receive the mental health services they require,” said Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey in a statement. “After the Uvalde tragedy, these funds were designated by Congress for this critical service, with bipartisan support. Withholding these funds is both cruel and illegal.
New York Attorney General Letitia James stated, “By reducing funding for these lifesaving youth mental health programs, the Department of Education is abandoning our children at a critical time.”
These grants have enabled thousands of students to receive critical mental health services at a time when young people are experiencing record levels of depression, trauma, and anxiety. Eliminating these grants now would be a grave disservice to children and families in New York and across the country.
