A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reverse millions of dollars in cuts to mental health services for school children that Congress had approved in response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Kymberly K. Evanson, a U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, ruled Monday that the Education Department “must immediately take every step necessary” to begin restoring the grants that paid for the services.
Judge Evanson said in her ruling that the government did not follow its own rules for canceling the grants, rejecting the administration’s arguments that it was not required to specify reasons for the cuts. She gave the administration until Wednesday to update the court on its progress toward restoring the funding.
“Congress created these programs to address the states’ need for school-based mental health services in their schools,” Judge Evanson wrote, “and has repeatedly reaffirmed the need for those services over the years by reauthorizing and increasing appropriations to these programs.”
The ruling will apply only to the 16 Democratic-led states that joined the lawsuit against the Education Department and its leader, Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
In May, the Education Department halted $1 billion in funding for mental health services, citing potential violations of federal civil rights law without specifying any wrongdoing.
An Education Department spokeswoman said at the time that the grants had been discontinued as part of the administration’s interest in rooting out “diversity, equity, and inclusion” polices. In this case, several grants included incentives to increase the diversity of psychologists, counselors and other mental health workers.
Michael C. Bender is a Times correspondent in Washington.
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