North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced he is suing the federal Education Department to prevent a cut of nearly $50 million in grant funding for mostly rural schools in low-income communities.
The state of Maryland and the District of Columbia are also listed as plaintiffs in the case.
The Full-Service Community Schools Program is a federal program that provides funding for academic, social and health services, particularly at high-poverty and rural schools. But many grant recipients recently learned their funding was being discontinued amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on grant programs it says doesn’t align with the administration’s priorities.
In North Carolina, a consortium of 55 schools across 18 school districts and covering around 23,000 students was part of a five-year, $50 million program that Jackson says is among those being discontinued despite prior Department of Education approval.
“The Department gave basically no reason for these cuts, it’s not alleging any kind of fraud, any kind of misuse, it’s just saying it’s all going to come to a halt in the middle of the school year,” Jackson said in a video comment. “Well, that’s wrong, and it’s also illegal.”
The federal lawsuit calls on the courts to vacate the decision.
The program covered mostly rural and low-income school districts, and Jackson says many used the funding to help support students after Hurricane Helene.
The Department of Education didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit cites a letter of non-continuation sent to recipients in Maryland that claimed the grant provides funding for programs that “reflect the prior administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration” and claim the programs violate Federal civil rights law and conflict with the policy of “prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education.”
The lawsuit notes other plaintiffs in the case received similar letters.
Over the last year, the Trump administration has been targeting grant programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. It has cut other grants and frozen funds, prompting outcry from education advocates.
