A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Education acted unlawfully when it abruptly ended grants supporting mental health professionals in K-12 schools, according to an announcement from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and 15 other state attorneys general. The decision, issued on December 19 by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, blocks the department’s directive to discontinue these grants and requires lawful review of continued funding for each grant in the states involved.
“This victory ensures that our young people are not unlawfully denied resources, including mental health professionals in schools, to help them navigate a nationwide mental health epidemic,” said AG Campbell. “This ruling is yet another reminder that the Trump Administration cannot arbitrarily revoke grant funding, especially funding that provides essential services to our vulnerable young people, just because they don’t like the programs. I will continue to fight against this Administration’s unlawful actions that harm our children.”
Following a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Congress allocated $1 billion to add 14,000 mental health professionals in schools across the country—particularly those serving low-income and rural communities. In its first year, these programs provided services to nearly 775,000 students and reduced wait times for assistance.
In Massachusetts, one initiative affected by this funding is Project Beacon at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The program trains 50 school psychologists and counselors for high-need local communities with goals of improving student access to educational support and enhancing school safety through prevention efforts. Termination of this program would have resulted in thousands of low-income students losing access to vital psychological support.
The Department of Education originally awarded five-year grants with annual reviews based on grantee performance as required by regulations. However, on April 29, grantees received notices stating their grants no longer aligned with Trump administration priorities and would be discontinued. On June 30, several states filed suit challenging what they described as arbitrary action violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
The court sided with the states on December 19 and ordered lawful decisions regarding continued funding for each grant.
Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin joined Campbell in filing the lawsuit.
