Attorney General Anthony Brown and 16 other state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, alleging it unlawfully cut funding for K-12 mental health programs established by Congress, affecting initiatives in Maryland and other states.
Per the news release distributed on Tuesday, July 1: “Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 16 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit late Monday against the U.S. Department of Education for illegally cutting congressionally approved funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.
After the tragic deaths of 19 students and two teachers during a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a bipartisan Congress appropriated over $100 million to permanently bring 14,000 mental health professionals into the schools that needed them most. The programs have delivered. According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), 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 awarded grants spanning a five-year project period and makes yearly decisions to continue each grant’s funding. As required by its regulations, the Department of Education considers the grantee’s performance when deciding whether to continue funding.
On April 29, 2025, the Department of Education sent boilerplate notices to grantees claiming that their grants now conflicted with the Trump administration’s priorities and funding would be discontinued. The Department’s non-continuation decision means that Maryland K-12 students will have significantly less mental health support.
Bowie State University, a historically Black institution, operates the Ujima Center for School Counseling Scholars through a Department grant. Supporting graduate students seeking a degree in school counseling, the Ujima Center has already enrolled 46 scholars, who gain experience while providing critical mental health services at high-need K-12 schools. Without warning, the Department cancelled the supporting grant in its entirety—an over $2 million loss—which will end the Ujima Center if not reversed.
Similarly, the University of Maryland at Baltimore runs its School-Based Mental Health Fellowship, creating a training pipeline for mental health professionals. The fellowship supports undergraduate and graduate-level education, leading to sustained employment in K-12 schools. Over the past two years, the program has placed 67 fellows in approximately 50 schools where the need for mental health resources is acute. The Department abruptly cancelled the University’s grant without notice, representing nearly $2.5 million in anticipated funding, which will terminate the fellowship if not enjoined.
“The Trump Administration’s termination of grants supporting school counselors and other mental health professionals at Maryland schools is a cruel and reckless action that puts our students at increased risk of suicide and self-harm,” said Attorney General Anthony Brown. “Established to prevent school violence like mass shootings, these programs are critical to ensuring the well-being of our students. We will not allow the Trump administration to threaten our children’s safety or jeopardize Maryland’s programs that support them and set them up for success.”
The attorneys general filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The complaint alleges that the Department of Education’s funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The attorneys general ask a federal judge to rule that the funding cuts are illegal and seek an injunction rescinding the noncontinuation decision.
Joining Attorney General Brown in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.”