Hundreds of California school mental health jobs in jeopardy as Trump targets grants again | EdSource
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The U.S. Department of Education is reviving its cancellation of roughly $168 million in school-based mental programs in California that fund hundreds of social workers, counselors and mental health support staff in schools, according to a motion filed on June 10.
According to the filing, Trump officials seek a clarification from a federal judge that a December 2025 order to permanently restore mental health grants does not block the termination of those grants under a separate regulation. U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson in Seattle had previously ruled in favor of a multi-state coalition, stating that the department’s decision to discontinue grants last April were ‘arbitrary’ and ‘capricious.’
“The Department is not reinstating its non-continuation decisions,” Trump officials said. “It is exercising its authority to terminate the grants regardless of their character as multi-year grants under a separate legal authority,” arguing that grant termination is legally distinct from a decision not to continue funding.
Drew Furedi, president of Para Los Niños, a nonprofit in Los Angeles that provides educational and mental health services to underserved students, told EdSource that the second attempt to revoke funds could threaten key support for “overwhelmed” families.
“With a third of our middle school population unhoused, our mental health professionals and social workers have been doing incredible work with students the past three years,” Furedi said. “It is so disappointing that the Department of Education, instead of recognizing and expanding school-based mental health as an essential tool for addressing the nation-wide drop in student performance, has instead decided to cut off a lifeline that ensures every child and family can thrive.”
The department asked the court to issue a decision by July 30 and allow terminations to begin as early as July 31. If the court agrees, the ruling could clear the way for the Trump administration to end some or all school-based mental health grants as part of its ongoing campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.
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News Brief
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 — 10:56 am
June 17, 2026
The U.S. Department of Education is reviving its cancellation of roughly $168 million in school-based mental programs in California that fund hundreds of social workers, counselors and mental health support staff in schools, according to a motion filed on June 10.
According to the filing, Trump officials seek a clarification from a federal judge that a December 2025 order to permanently restore mental health grants does not block the termination of those grants under a separate regulation. U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson in Seattle had previously ruled in favor of a multi-state coalition, stating that the department’s decision to discontinue grants last April were ‘arbitrary’ and ‘capricious.’
“The Department is not reinstating its non-continuation decisions,” Trump officials said. “It is exercising its authority to terminate the grants regardless of their character as multi-year grants under a separate legal authority,” arguing that grant termination is legally distinct from a decision not to continue funding.
Drew Furedi, president of Para Los Niños, a nonprofit in Los Angeles that provides educational and mental health services to underserved students, told EdSource that the second attempt to revoke funds could threaten key support for “overwhelmed” families.
“With a third of our middle school population unhoused, our mental health professionals and social workers have been doing incredible work with students the past three years,” Furedi said. “It is so disappointing that the Department of Education, instead of recognizing and expanding school-based mental health as an essential tool for addressing the nation-wide drop in student performance, has instead decided to cut off a lifeline that ensures every child and family can thrive.”
The department asked the court to issue a decision by July 30 and allow terminations to begin as early as July 31. If the court agrees, the ruling could clear the way for the Trump administration to end some or all school-based mental health grants as part of its ongoing campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.
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