Maryland Sues Dept. Of Education Over Proposed Cuts To Mental: Maryland Joins 14-State Lawsuit to Block Federal Cuts to School Mental Health Grants
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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, joining attorneys general from 14 other states in an effort to stop the federal government from terminating school-based mental health grants that Congress had already approved.
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The cuts, scheduled to take effect at the end of July, would strip Maryland schools and universities of more than $3 million in federal funding used to provide counseling services and train future school counselors.
What’s at stake for Maryland students
Two Maryland institutions stand to lose the most. Bowie State University’s Ujima Center for School Counseling Scholars faces the loss of more than $1.6 million, while the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s school-based mental health program would also see its funding eliminated. Both programs focus on expanding the pipeline of trained counselors into K-12 schools.
Brown was direct about his reasoning for joining the multistate action. “Once again, the U.S. Department of Education is trying to eliminate grants that Maryland schools rely on to provide critical mental health and counseling services for our children,” he said in a statement. “We joined this lawsuit because our children’s well-being should never be traded away to fit a political agenda.”
The legal argument behind the case
The lawsuit contends the Department of Education is acting unlawfully by attempting to cancel grants that Congress passed through bipartisan legislation, originally created in response to a wave of school shootings. The states argue the executive branch cannot simply override a congressional funding decision.
The case carries added legal weight because a federal court had already ruled against similar grant cancellations by the department, finding them unlawful. The attorneys general argue the current terminations follow the same pattern that court previously rejected.
A pattern of federal education funding disputes
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal clashes between state governments and the federal Education Department over funding decisions made since early 2025. States have repeatedly turned to the courts to block what they describe as unilateral attempts to end congressionally approved programs without proper legal authority.
With the cuts set to hit at the end of July, the timeline is tight. The multistate coalition will be pushing for a court order to halt the terminations before the funding officially expires, leaving the fate of these programs in the hands of a federal judge.
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