(Inside California Politics) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in a U.S. district court Friday against the U.S. Department of Education to stop their termination of mental health funding for schools, Bonta announced in a news release.
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Bonta joined forces with fourteen other attorneys general to file the suit, which challenges the Department’s decision to end funding for the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration and School-Based Mental Health Services grant programs, the news release stated.
These grants were designed to address shortages for mental health-related staff in schools, such as counselors, psychologists and social workers, according to the Department of Education website.
In 2025, the two grants awarded a combined total of more than $250 million to state and local agencies, according to grant award reports. California agencies received more than $11 million of that funding.
The attorney general’s office said this is the Department’s second attempt to cut these grants. A U.S. district court found their previous cuts “illegal” in a December 2025 decision. “The Trump Administration is once again trying to take critical mental health funding away from the schools that need it most,” Bonta stated.
Along with the lawsuit, the attorneys general also “moved for a preliminary injunction,” which would keep the funding in place until the court makes a final decision.
“Congress made clear that students across the country deserve access to these services. That’s why we’re going back to court,” Bonta explained.
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