“By cutting funding for these lifesaving youth mental health programs, the Department of Education is abandoning our children when they need us most,” New York AG Letitia James said in a statement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and its secretary, former professional wrestling promoter Linda McMahon, claiming that the recent termination of more than $1 billion in funding for school-based mental health services was unlawful.
In a statement, James said that McMahon and the Trump administration have, in effect, abandoned some of the country’s most vulnerable children—those who need access to counseling, support, and other mental health resources, but who may be unable to obtain assistance elsewhere.
“By cutting funding for these lifesaving youth mental health programs, the Department of Education is abandoning our children when they need us most,” James said in a statement.
“These grants have helped thousands of students access critical mental health services at a time when young people are facing record levels of depression, trauma, and anxiety,” she said. “To eliminate these grants now would be a grave disservice to children and families in New York and nationwide, and my office is fighting back to preserve these much-needed programs.”
A State University of New York official indicated that James’ lawsuit has the SUNY system’s support.
“SUNY is grateful to Attorney General James for protecting New Yorkers, including critical resources for mental health support,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said in a press release. “At a time when school-based mental health services are more important than ever, SUNY is proud that our campuses play a vital role in training mental health providers and we will vigorously defend this important work.”
James’s office noted that the bipartisan-approved funding for mental health initiatives was sponsored by conservative Texas Sen. John Cornyn and “crafted … with a simple purpose: to reduce violence and save lives.” Cornyn had previously described the law as containing “commonsense measures to improve how our schools address mental health,” adding that, “too often, adolescents with untreated mental health conditions become the very same perpetrators who commit acts of violence.”
Since the first wave of grants were approved, nearly 1 million students nationwide have been given direct access to mental or behavioral health services; the fund also allowed districts to hire an estimated 1,200 in-school therapists and counselors, almost all of whom continue to practice within an academic setting.
The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin are all named as co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Sources
Democratic states sue Trump administration over school mental health funding cuts
Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration for Slashing Youth Mental Health Funding
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