ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: JUDGE ORDERS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO UNWIND UNLAWFUL CANCELLATION OF SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: JUDGE ORDERS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO UNWIND UNLAWFUL CANCELLATION OF SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS

December 22, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a federal judge ruled the U.S. Department of Education acted unlawfully by abruptly discontinuing grants to fund extra mental health professionals in K-12 schools.

The decision came after Raoul and a coalition of 16 attorneys general filed a lawsuit in July arguing the department violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when it told grantees in April that it would discontinue the mental health grants program because they conflicted with the Trump administration's new priorities. As part of the decision, the two sides will meet and agree on a timeline for the department to make lawful grant continuation decisions.

"I applaud this ruling that ensures mental health professionals stay in schools in Illinois and across the country. These services not only support our students, but they keep our schools and communities safe," Raoul said. "I will continue to stand beside my colleagues to oppose illegal actions that directly impact our communities."

After the 2023 tragic deaths of 19 students and two teachers during a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a bipartisan Congress appropriated $1 billion to permanently bring 14,000 mental health professionals into the schools that needed it the most. Since then, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), reported grantees served nearly 775,000 students and hired nearly 1,300 school mental health professionals during the first year of funding. NASP also found a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, decreases in absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increases in positive student-staff engagement based on data from sampled programs.

The Department of Education attempted to discontinue the grants that provided essential services from school-based mental health professionals for countless students throughout Illinois. Just one of the many programs the administration attempted to cancel has provided additional mental health services for more than 50,000 students in Illinois since the program's outset.

Joining Raoul in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.