Judge: Trump administration must release some mental health grant funds

News Brief

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 — 8:13 am

The Trump administration must release remaining funds for canceled mental health grants to some, but not all, affected school districts, according to a recent judge ruling. 

The administration planned to revoke nearly $168 million in school-based mental health grants that funded hundreds of school social workers, counselors and wellness coaches in California, effective Dec. 31, as part of its campaign against DEI. According to a temporary injunction filed by a federal judge in an ongoing, multi-state lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Education must now reinstate funds to a select number of school districts until a permanent verdict is reached. 

In April, the federal Department of Education accused 49 grant recipients in the state of violating a standard of “merit, fairness and excellence in education” and failing to comply with the “priorities and policy preferences” of the Trump administration, targeting Joe Biden-era grants that prioritized hiring diverse candidates. On Oct. 27, U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson in Seattle described the discontinuations as likely “arbitrary” and “capricious” in the preliminary ruling. 

“There is no evidence the Department considered any relevant data pertaining to the (canceled) Grants,” Evanson wrote. “In the absence of any findings, the Court cannot determine whether the Department’s decision bears a rational connection to the facts.”

The temporary release of funds applies to school districts, including McKinleyville Union, which recently filed an independent lawsuit to release nearly $6 million in remaining mental health grant funds, as well as the Northern Humboldt Union High School District, which had lost its own appeal against the discontinuation of more than $6.5 million in remaining funds. Other districts, such as Eureka City Schools and Del Norte Unified, which are set to lose about $5 million together, were not listed among the grantees receiving the temporary release of funds.

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