States sue over planned cuts to school mental health grants
The states say the cuts would strip millions from school counseling programs that served nearly 775,000 students in their first year, officials said.
- On Monday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul led 15 Democratic state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Education from terminating a $1 billion school-based mental health grant program.
- Congress created this $1 billion initiative in 2022 following the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting to bring 14,000 mental health professionals into schools; the Trump administration later targeted the grants over perceived ties to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
- Programs served nearly 775,000 students in their first year with a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, yet the administration's termination plan threatens over $3 million in funding for Maryland schools and universities.
- Defying a December 2025 court order, the administration is labeling the effort a 'termination' rather than 'discontinuation' to bypass legal injunctions, a move state officials argue circumvents the law.
- Despite awards extending through December 31, 2026, the department provided only six months of funding, forcing grantees to divert staff resources from student mental health toward administrative hurdles.
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Multi-state lawsuit challenges $1B in federal education grant cuts
(The Center Square) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined with 14 other attorneys general on a lawsuit attempting to stop the U.S. Department of Education from cutting funding to school-based mental health grants.
Oregon, 14 other states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration to block funding cuts to a $1 billion program that helps school districts hire and train more mental health professionals.
Detroit Evening Report: Michigan Attorney General joins lawsuit to save school mental health funding
Several attorneys general filed a new lawsuit to prevent the U.S. Department of Education from terminating school-based mental health grants. Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel has joined the lawsuit. The projected cuts equal about $6 million in funding from Michigan schools and universities. Members of Congress allocated $1 billion to address school shootings. The grants are focused on bringing in 14,000 mental health professionals into low-income…
14 State AGs Sue to Force Feds to Keep Funding Schools' Mental Health Bureaucracy
A coalition of 14 Democrat-led state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Department of Education, seeking to block the agency from cutting school mental health grants the Trump administration has moved to terminate. The plaintiffs, including attorneys general from California, New York, Illinois, and eleven other states, claim the DOE acted unlawfully when it stopped renewing the five-year grants in April 2025, citing a conf…
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