Court sides with California in lawsuit protecting school-based mental health programs
California – A group of 16 states, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, secured a temporary court order that stops the Trump Administration from terminating mental health funding programs in schools. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington made a decision that stops the Department of Education from cutting off funding for almost 50 grantees in numerous states, including millions of dollars given to 21 education agencies and universities in California.
The injunction keeps important grants that Congress set up, such the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program, in force while the case continues to go on. These initiatives were intended to make it easier for students to get counseling and mental health help in schools, especially in rural and low-income communities.
Judge Kymberly Evanson, who made the decision on October 21, turned down the Department’s request to throw out the case. The court said that the Department acted “arbitrarily and capriciously,” which is against the law, in its ruling. The verdict said that the Department didn’t explain why it made the decision or take into consideration the time and money that grant recipients had already put in. The injunction only applies to grantees who gave detailed declarations explaining how the notices of termination hurt them.
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Attorney General Bonta described the decision as an important step toward safeguarding student well-being.
“The court’s decision requires the Trump Administration’s Department of Education to provide thousands of students in our state a fair shot at accessing crucial mental health services that support their success and wellbeing, while our litigation continues,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The court’s ruling brings us one step closer to ensuring the Department of Education follows the law when it makes mental health grant award decisions in the future.”
The lawsuit that started this case was filed on June 30, 2025, after the Department of Education suddenly told 44 grantees in California that their funding would terminate. The Department said the change was necessary because of new “priorities,” but they didn’t give any reasons related to performance. Critics say that the Trump Administration tried to move money away from programs that promote diversity and inclusion.
After the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, Congress first agreed to provide these mental health programs $1 billion. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, these awards benefitted about 775,000 children in their first year and paid for the hiring of 1,300 school mental health specialists. Schools that took part said that the danger of suicide went down and attendance and behavior improved.
The injunction now prevents the Trump Administration from enforcing or reinstating its discontinuation decision while the lawsuit moves forward.
A copy of order is available here.
