Bonta Joins Coalition to Block School Mental Health Funding Cuts

By Scott Bishop Yuma, AZ · OAKLAND —

Published 4 min read

California Attorney General Rob Bonta helped secure a court order blocking the U.S. Department of Education from ending school mental health grants.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the preliminary injunction keeps vital resources available to students and families who need them the most. The Department of Education announced a new plan to end the funding under a different regulation after the coalition successfully blocked an earlier effort to discontinue the grants. The court first halted the Department of Education's termination plan through a temporary restraining order earlier in 2026.

Why It Matters

The Administrative Procedure Act requires federal agencies to provide reasoned decision-making and notice-and-comment procedures when making significant regulatory changes, a standard the court found the Department of Education failed to meet in this case. The School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program had awarded over 138 multi-year grants across 15 states as of April 2025, with many grantees relying on the funding to maintain critical mental health services in high-need schools.

The Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. This ruling prevents the immediate loss of those funds while the legal challenge proceeds.

Timeline

On September 26, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Education from terminating federal school mental health funding. On the same day, California Attorney General Rob Bonta acted as part of a coalition of 15 attorneys general to secure the injunction. Attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin joined the challenge.

The court found the Department of Education's termination plan likely unlawful because it re-evaluated grants based on new priorities that did not exist when grantees applied. The court found the Department of Education failed to adequately consider grantees' reliance on the funding before attempting to terminate it. The court found the Department of Education did not provide grantees with the required notice and opportunity to be heard before terminating the funding. Bonta said the Trump Administration has repeatedly tried to cut critical mental health funding for schools, and the coalition has not hesitated to fight back.

What's New

The U.S. Department of Education has a history of discontinuing or re-evaluating federal grant programs based on shifting administrative priorities, including the termination of the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023 under the Trump administration. The Department of Education had previously attempted to terminate the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023, but a federal court blocked the move, citing similar violations of the Administrative Procedure Act. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have limited eligibility for the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program, though it was later withdrawn following public backlash.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has led multiple legal challenges against the Department of Education's policies, including a 2022 lawsuit over the termination of Title IX regulations that he argued undermined student protections. The School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program was initially established in 2018 under the Trump administration following the Parkland school shooting, with the goal of increasing access to mental health professionals in high-need schools.

How Sources Differ

Regarding mental health services, atg.wa.gov states the U.S. Department of Education has a history of discontinuing or re-evaluating federal grant programs based on shifting administrative priorities, including the termination of the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023. In contrast, oag.ca.gov notes the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program had awarded over 138 multi-year grants across 15 states as of April 2025, with many grantees relying on the funding to maintain critical mental health services in high-need schools.

Concerning the based mental health services grant program, atg.wa.gov reports the Department of Education had previously attempted to terminate the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023, but a federal court blocked the move, citing similar violations of the Administrative Procedure Act.

On the topic of the based mental health services grant program, oag.ca.gov states that in 2022, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have significantly limited eligibility for the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program, though it was later withdrawn during public backlash. Conversely, atg.wa.gov indicates the Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.

Regarding mental health, atg.wa.gov notes the Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington preliminary injunction order simply states the court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Education from terminating federal school mental health funding.

On mental health, atg.wa.gov reports the Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. Finally, regarding mental health, atg.wa.gov mentions the Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, while oag.ca.gov adds that the U.S. Department of Education has a history of terminating federal grants without adequate procedural safeguards, including in the context of mental health programs, which has led to previous legal challenges.

fact_check Facts

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Education from terminating federal school mental health funding.
Source: wawd.uscourts.gov
California Attorney General Rob Bonta acted as part of a coalition of 15 attorneys general to secure the injunction.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The court found the Department of Education failed to adequately consider grantees’ reliance on the funding before attempting to terminate it.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The court found the Department of Education did not provide grantees with the required notice and opportunity to be heard before terminating the funding.
Source: oag.ca.gov
Attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin joined the challenge.
Source: oag.ca.gov
Rob Bonta, California Attorney General
"The Trump Administration has repeatedly tried to cut critical mental health funding for schools, and we haven’t hesitated to fight back," said Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Rob Bonta, California Attorney General
"This preliminary injunction keeps these vital resources available to students and families who need them the most," said Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Rob Bonta, California Attorney General
"We will keep holding this Administration accountable and defending the rule of law," said Attorney General Rob Bonta.

menu_bookBackground & Sources

Context and data our newsroom added to the originating report, with the primary source for each item shown below it.

Congress established the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program following the school shootings in Parkland, FL and Uvalde, TX.
The grant programs were established to address shortages of school-based counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals, particularly in high-need schools.
The court first halted the Department of Education's termination plan through a temporary restraining order earlier in 2026.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The U.S. Department of Education has a history of discontinuing or re-evaluating federal grant programs based on shifting administrative priorities, including the termination of the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023 under the Trump administration.
Source: atg.wa.gov
In 2021, the Trump administration issued a rule that allowed the Department of Education to cancel grants if they were deemed inconsistent with the administration's policy goals, a practice later challenged in court for violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
Source: atg.wa.gov
The Department of Education had previously attempted to terminate the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program in 2023, but a federal court blocked the move, citing similar violations of the Administrative Procedure Act.
Source: atg.wa.gov
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have significantly limited eligibility for the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program, though it was later withdrawn amid public backlash.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The Department of Education has historically awarded approximately $200 million annually in mental health grants to schools, with the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program receiving over $1 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.
Source: atg.wa.gov
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has led multiple legal challenges against the Department of Education’s policies, including a 2022 lawsuit over the termination of Title IX regulations that he argued undermined student protections.
Source: atg.wa.gov
The Administrative Procedure Act requires federal agencies to provide reasoned decision-making and notice-and-comment procedures when making significant regulatory changes, a standard the court found the Department of Education failed to meet in this case.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program was initially established in 2018 under the Trump administration following the Parkland school shooting, with the goal of increasing access to mental health professionals in high-need schools.
Source: oag.ca.gov
The Trump administration previously attempted to eliminate funding for school-based mental health programs in 2021, citing budgetary constraints and policy shifts, which drew criticism from education and mental health advocates.
The School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program had awarded over 138 multi-year grants across 15 states as of April 2025, with many grantees relying on the funding to maintain critical mental health services in high-need schools.
Source: oag.ca.gov

forum Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to comment.