Democratic State Attorneys General Sue to Restore COVID-Related Programs for K-12 Students

The states say they’d deliberate on the funding and are actually coping with main price range shortfalls due to the coverage change.

A gaggle of Democratic state attorneys normal and a governor sued the Trump administration on April 10 to try to cease it from ending greater than $1.1 billion in funding for addressing the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ok–12 college students.

Filed in Manhattan federal court docket, the lawsuit is in response to the Division of Schooling’s March 28 announcement that it might now not let states make the most of funds inside packages carried out by a pandemic reduction regulation handed throughout the Biden administration. Beforehand, the company stated the funds can be accessible via March 2026.

The states suing stated they’d deliberate on the funding and are actually coping with main price range shortfalls due to the company’s coverage change, the lawsuit states.

They stated the funding was earmarked for facility upgrades, providing tutoring to college students who fell behind throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and feeding homeless college students.

“The Trump administration’s newest assault on our colleges will harm our most weak college students and make it tougher for them to thrive,” stated New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James, who was one of many plaintiffs bringing the lawsuit. “Chopping faculty techniques’ entry to important assets that our college students and lecturers depend on is outrageous and unlawful.”

She was joined by the attorneys normal of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was a further plaintiff.

The group alleges that the Trump administration’s reversal on permitting entry to the funds violated procedures needed by the Administrative Procedures Act. They’re asking the court docket to situation an order vacating the Schooling Division’s termination of funds and reinstating its earlier coverage, permitting the states to entry the funds via March of subsequent yr.

The White Home and the Division of Schooling didn’t reply to requests for remark by publication time.

President Donald Trump has stated schooling authority needs to be returned to the states and fogeys ought to resolve what’s finest for his or her youngsters. He signed an govt order final month directing his administration to hasten the method of dismantling the Schooling Division, which requires congressional approval.

California Lawyer Basic Rob Bonta, a plaintiff in Thursday’s lawsuit, accused Trump of “throwing our colleges into turmoil and jeopardizing the tutorial success of a era of American youngsters” by transferring to dismantle the Schooling Division.

“I’m taking the President to court docket for the thirteenth time to assist guarantee our children get the academic alternatives they deserve,” Bonta wrote in a press release.

Quite a few teams have filed lawsuits difficult the administration’s sweeping cuts, arguing it’s revoking congressionally appropriated contracts and grants with out first getting enter from the legislative department.

Reuters contributed to this report.