California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Education not to limit schools’ abilities to support student mental health needs. The group sent a comment letter criticizing proposed changes to the Department’s School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program (MHSP). According to the attorneys general, these changes would implement what they describe as an illegal decision by the Department to discontinue previously awarded grants—a move currently being challenged in federal court.
“The Trump Administration should be doing everything in its power to support the well-being of our students — particularly those who need mental health services the most. Tragically, it is not,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My fellow attorneys general and I are already in court defending the two grant programs at issue, and with our comment letter, we are doubling down on our efforts to ensure students in our states can benefit from these programs that are critical to students’ well-being, safety, and academic success. We will continue holding the Trump Administration accountable until it reverses course and follows the law.”
The MHSP program was established by Congress in 2018 following several school shootings, aiming to address a shortage of school-based mental health providers by awarding multi-year grants for projects that expand training pipelines through partnerships between higher education institutions and local education agencies. The SBMH program was created in 2020 to fund multi-year grants for increasing the number of professionals providing school-based mental health services through hiring and retention incentives. These programs seek to bring 14,000 additional mental health professionals into schools across the country. In California alone, 44 universities and local education agencies receive funding from these initiatives.
The attorneys general’s letter points out concerns with proposed changes that would fund only services provided by “school psychologists,” excluding other qualified professionals such as counselors and social workers. They also objected to a new requirement prohibiting use of funds for activities related to “gender ideology,” political activism, racial stereotyping, or creating hostile environments based on race. The letter argues this condition is vague, could violate constitutional protections against unclear requirements tied to federal funding, and might conflict with civil rights obligations.
The coalition called on the Department of Education to revise its priorities and requirements for these grant programs so they comply with existing laws and address their outlined deficiencies.
Attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington joined Bonta in sending the letter.
A copy of the comment letter can be found here.
