MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul has secured a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Education from cutting funding for school mental health grants. The order reinstates grants that the Trump administration unlawfully discontinued earlier this year.
In June, AG Kaul and a coalition of states filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education for illegally cutting congressionally approved funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.
“It is baffling that the Trump administration is unlawfully attempting to withhold funding that supports school-based mental health services,” said AG Kaul. “This ruling is a win for the safety and well-being of students in Wisconsin and elsewhere.”
The cuts would have affected hundreds of thousands of students across the country and would have significantly impacted the implementation of key mental health initiatives. The preliminary injunction keeps funding for these programs in place while the case proceeds, subject to further court action.
The programs at issue include a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) grant program that includes training new providers, expanding teleservices, and partnering with universities to build long-term mental health pipelines. It also includes a UW-Madison program to train 24 school psychology graduate students who would work in high-need schools after graduation.
