Trump administration cuts $1 billion in school mental health grants, citing conflict of priorities

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Teaching Writer WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration is moving to cancel billion in school mental fitness grants saying they reflect the priorities of the previous administration Related Articles Colorado school district back under court order to return highly sensitive books to its libraries Lone Tree day care center with history of child abuse statements will close Civil rights probe of antisemitism at U S colleges may target Denver s Auraria campus ICE is reversing termination of legal status for international students around U S New Colorado hotline launches to help get kids back in school Grant recipients were notified Tuesday that the funding will not be continued after this year A gun violence bill signed by Democratic President Joe Biden in sent billion to the grant programs to help schools hire more psychologists counselors and other mental fitness workers A new notice announced an Training Department review of the programs exposed they violated the purpose of civil rights law conflicted with the department s procedures of prioritizing merit and fairness and amounted to an inappropriate use of federal money The cuts were made population in a social media post from conservative strategist Christopher Rufo who claimed the money was used to advance left-wing racialism and discrimination He posted excerpts from several grant documents setting goals to hire certain numbers of nonwhite counselors or pursue other diversity equity and inclusion policies No more slush fund for activists under the guise of mental medical Rufo wrote The Guidance Department validated the cuts In an update to members of Congress that was obtained by The Associated Press department executives noted the Republican administration will find other options to help mental physical condition The Department plans to re-envision and re-compete its mental wellbeing scheme funds to more effectively patronage students behavioral vitality necessities according to the notice President Donald Trump s administration has cut billions of dollars in federal grants deemed to be related to DEI and has threatened to cut billions more from schools and colleges over diversity practices The administration says any approach that treats people differently because of their race amounts to discrimination and it argues that DEI has often been used to discriminate against white and Asian American students The Associated Press coaching coverage receives financial endorsement from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org