A federal judge has mandated that the Trump administration release millions of dollars in grants designed to mitigate the shortage of mental health professionals in schools. This decision, handed down on Monday, addresses a pressing need exacerbated by recent tragic events.

The mental health initiative, funded by Congress in the wake of the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, aims to bolster the number of counselors, psychologists, and social workers in educational settings, particularly in rural and underserved regions. Although the grants were originally intended to support these areas, the Trump administration opposed the diversity criteria used in the awarding process, threatening to halt funding beyond December 2025.

Judge Kymberly K. Evanson of the U.S. District Court in Seattle issued a preliminary ruling that benefits certain grantees in sixteen states governed by Democrats, who had challenged the Education Department’s stance. This ruling reinstates significant funding, such as $3.8 million for Madera County and $8 million for Marin County, both in California. The order will remain active as the legal proceedings continue.

Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department initially awarded these grants, prioritizing applicants who demonstrated plans to diversify their counseling staff with individuals from backgrounds reflective of the communities they serve. However, upon assuming office, the Trump administration raised objections, claiming that the diversity components were detrimental to students.

In April, the Trump administration announced the cancellation of the grants, arguing that they conflicted with the department’s emphasis on “merit, fairness, and excellence in education,” and stating that they did not align with the federal government’s best interests. This recent court ruling challenges that decision, potentially reshaping the future of mental health support in schools across the nation.

In her ruling, Evanson called that decision arbitrary and capricious and said the states had made a case for real harm from the grant cuts. In Maine, for example, the grants enabled nine rural school districts to hire 10 new school mental health workers and retain four more — jobs the state said would be lost if the funding ended.

“Congress created these programs to address the states’ need for school-based mental health services in their schools, and has repeatedly reaffirmed the need for those services over the years by reauthorizing and increasing appropriations to these programs,” Evanson wrote.

“There is no evidence the Department considered any relevant data pertaining to the Grants at issue,” she wrote, and the department did not tell grantees why their work didn’t meet the “best interest” criteria.

An Education Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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