Overview

• The coalition of 16 Democratic attorneys general filed suit on July 1 in federal court to block the Education Department’s decision to halt Bipartisan Safer Communities Act grants.
• They argue that April notices terminating school-based mental health programs breached the APA and ran counter to five-year funding commitments set by Congress.
• The lawsuit warns that withdrawing the $1 billion in support will cause immediate and devastating harm to students facing record levels of depression, trauma, and anxiety.
• Education Department spokesperson Madi Biedermann defended the action, saying funds were diverted toward race-based DEI initiatives instead of evidence-based mental health practices.
• The states seek a federal injunction to stop the cuts before the next academic year and a judicial ruling to restore the funding under congressional mandates.