Oregon joins states suing Education Department over cuts to school mental health grants
Mon, July 13, 2026 at 7:06 AM
FILE – Oregon joins states suing Education Department over cuts to school mental health grants (SBG)
Oregon and more than a dozen other states are suing the U.S. Department of Education over the planned termination of federal school-based mental health grants, arguing the agency is unlawfully cutting off funding Congress approved to place more mental health professionals in schools after the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting
The lawsuit challenges the end of a $1 billion program that brought 14,000 mental health professionals into U.S. schools, particularly in low-income and rural communities. The Trump administration plans to terminate the grants at the end of July
The states are asking a federal court to block the grants from ending while the legal challenge moves forward
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the cuts would remove critical support for students. In a statement, Rayfield said, “The Trump Administration is once again trying to strip mental health support from students who need it most — and once again… we’re taking them to court to stop it.”
Washington, California and 13 other states are included in the lawsuit
