Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a coalition of 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in suing the Trump Administration to restore states’ access to critical Department of Education (Department) programs that support low-income and unhoused students and provide funding for other services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students.
“Though Massachusetts has some of the strongest public K-12 schools in the country, we are not immune from the devastating and lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we work to recover from learning loss and financial hardship caused by the pandemic, our schools rely on federal funding to serve their most vulnerable students, including our homeless youth,” said AG Campbell. “I will continue fighting to protect Massachusetts residents, especially our teachers and young people who would be harmed by the Administration’s reckless policies.”
On March 28, the Department notified states that it was unilaterally ending access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which the Department had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. The Department’s sudden change in position and arbitrary termination of states’ access to these funds have created a massive budget gap for state education departments and local school districts that will cause serious harm to students throughout the country.
To combat the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ARPA funded three education-related programs to help support states’ school systems and direct more resources to the most vulnerable students. These three programs – Homeless Children and Youth (HCY), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) – provide essential resources to help schools and students recover from the lasting impacts of the pandemic.
These programs also support critical services to help vulnerable students reach their full potential and recover from missed classroom time and other negative effects of the pandemic. HCY funds are critical to support unhoused youth in Massachusetts schools. School systems count on HCY grants to provide food, personal care items, classroom supplies, field trip funding, and specialized training for teachers who work with unhoused students.
AG Campbell and the coalition assert that the Department’s arbitrary and abrupt termination of the states’ access to these funds is causing a massive, unexpected budget gap that will hurt students and teachers by cutting off vital education services. If access to this critical funding is not restored, states will be unable to provide essential public services, pay hundreds of public employees, or provide quality education to K-12 students.
AG Campbell and the coalition argue that the Department’s decision to abruptly cut off access to awarded funds violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it reversed its prior decision to allow states to access the funds through March 2026 and instead immediately terminated the states’ access without a sufficient explanation and contrary to Congress’ intent.
With this lawsuit, AG Campbell and the coalition are seeking a preliminary and permanent court order preventing the Department from arbitrarily changing its position so the states can continue to access these essential funds.
Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Oregon, along with the Governor of Pennsylvania.
Original source can be found here.