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SEATTLE - Washington's Attorney General Brown sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) with the support of 17 other attorneys general around the country. The letter warns of negative impacts for students if the federal government goes ahead with plans to cut funding for mental health programs.
Why are attorneys general sending a letter to the Department of Education?
Big picture view:
The attorneys general have expressed concern over proposed changes to federal grant programs that support mental health services in schools, warning that the revisions could hinder efforts to assist students and create bureaucratic challenges for districts seeking funding.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown.
In a multistate comment letter submitted Monday by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, the attorneys general urged the DOE not to limit schools' abilities to support students' mental health needs.
The letter addresses the department's proposed changes to the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program and the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program.
The backstory:
These programs were funded by Congress through 2026 following mass shootings at schools in Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas, to provide mental health services in high-need schools.
The proposed changes, the attorneys general say, would further implement the department's decision to discontinue previously awarded grants, a move that Washington state challenged in court earlier this year.
The attorneys general argue that the changes would unnecessarily restrict the services school psychologists can offer, apply vague conditions to the awards, and impose requirements that may conflict with existing federal obligations.
Dig deeper:
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown criticized the proposals, stating they would limit the ability of school counselors and social workers to support student mental health. He also expressed concern that the changes could reduce resources for students who do not speak English or who are gender diverse, despite the department's responsibility to enhance the safety and well-being of all students.
The letter was signed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the office of Washington's Attorney General Nick Brown.