A coalition of 16 state attorneys general, led by the state of Washington, filed a lawsuit late Monday against the U.S. Department of Education for cutting funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.
According to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, a bipartisan Congress appropriated $1 billion to bring 14,000 mental health professionals into the schools that needed it the most following the deadly mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The WA Attorney General’s Office pointed to data from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to detail the positive outcomes that ensued.
According to the WA AG’s Office, the Department of Education awards grants spanning a five-year project period and makes yearly decisions to continue each grant’s funding, considering the grantee’s performance when deciding whether to continue funding.
On April 29, the Department of Education reportedly sent notices to grantees claiming that their grants now conflicted with the Trump Administration’s priorities and funding would be discontinued.
“The Department of Education’s non-continuation decision means that students in at least three educational service districts in Washington, which cover 90 school districts in the northwest part of the state, may no longer have access to critical mental health services starting this fall,” wrote the Attorney General’s Office.
“School-based mental health programs can be a literal lifesaver for our students,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The Department of Education’s decision threatens the safety and well-being of our youth.”
The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleges that the Department of Education’s funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution, hoping that a judge will rule the cuts are illegal and grant an injunction rescinding the non-continuation decision.
Joining the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
The complaint can be found here.
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