US appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to halt grants for school mental health workers
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to halt an order requiring millions of dollars in donations to address the problem. mental health worker shortage in schools.
Mental health program funded by Congress after 2022 School shooting in Uvalde, TexasIt included grants aimed at helping schools hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers, focusing on rural and underserved areas of the country. But President Donald Trump’s administration has opposed aspects of the grant programs that touch on race, saying they are harmful to students and telling recipients they won’t receive funds after December 2025.
U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson, He decided this in October The administration’s move to rescind schools’ mental health benefits was arbitrary and capricious.
The U.S. Department of Education and Education Secretary Linda McMahon requested an emergency stay, and on Thursday a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request.
In its decision, the panel wrote that the government had not shown that it was likely to succeed based on its arguments that the district court lacked jurisdiction or that it would be “irreparably injured if it did not stay.”
The grants were first awarded under Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. The Education Department prioritized awarding money to applicants who showed how they would increase the number of counselors from diverse backgrounds or communities the school district directly serves.
The Trump administration said in a statement following the decision in October that the donations were used “to promote divisive ideologies based on race and gender.”
The preliminary ruling by Evanson, a U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, applies only to some grantees in 16 Democratic-led states that are appealing the Education Department’s decision. In Madera County, California, for example, the verdict resulted in the repayment of approximately $3.8 million. Recovered $8 million in Marin County, California.
