Press Release  AG Campbell Protects Access To Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars In Education Funds

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell secured a victory in her lawsuit against the Department of Education (Department), ensuring states’ access to critical 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. After AG Campbell and a coalition of 16 other states filed a lawsuit challenging the Department’s attempt to unilaterally end access to these dollars, the coalition has reached an agreement with the federal government that prevents the government from revoking, rescinding, modifying, or shortening the period in which states can access the funds. 

“Rather than help our schools recover from the devastating learning loss and financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration attempted to terminate funding meant to aid school districts with learning loss and recovery,” said AG Campbell. “This victory ensures our schools will have access to the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding they rely on to serve their most vulnerable students, including our homeless youth.”   

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. 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.   

AG Campbell and the coalition asserted that the Department’s arbitrary and abrupt termination of the states’ access to these funds caused a massive, unexpected budget gap that harmed students and teachers by cutting off vital education services. 

AG Campbell and the coalition argued that the Department’s decision to cut off access to awarded funds violated 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.  

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