WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Education to reverse its “unlawful discontinuation of mental health grants aimed at increasing support for K-12 schools.”
The ruling, delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly Evanson, follows a multistate lawsuit led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown.
Judge Evanson ruled that the Department of Education acted unlawfully when it abruptly terminated the mental health grants, which were originally intended to fund additional mental health professionals in schools.
This decision comes in the wake of funding appropriated by Congress, which allocated $1 billion to introduce 14,000 mental health professionals into schools, primarily targeting low-income and rural communities.
The successful mental health programs have already provided services to nearly 775,000 K-12 students in their first year, significantly reducing wait times for students seeking help, according to Washington Attorney General Nick Brown.
Brown emphasized the importance of these services.
“We’re facing a youth mental health crisis. Making sure our kids have proper support should never be subject to political whim,” Brown said.
The Department of Education had implemented the grants over a five-year project period, allowing annual assessments on their continued funding based on grantee performance.
However, on April 29, the department notified grantees that the grants would be discontinued due to a misalignment with the new priorities set by the Trump administration. Brown and other state attorneys general responded by challenging this action, arguing that it violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
Judge Evanson concurred, noting in her ruling that “Nothing in the existing regulatory scheme comports with the Department’s view that multi-year grants may be discontinued whenever the political will to do so arises.”
This statement underlines the requirement for the Department of Education to adhere to established processes regarding grant funding.
Following the ruling, the Department of Education has been mandated to engage with the states involved to establish a timeline for making lawful decisions regarding the continuation of the mental health grants. The court’s decision reinforces the necessity of providing consistent mental health support to students in schools across the nation.