A Win for School-Based Mental Health Grants in Vernon
July 31, 2026This week, the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General announced that a U.S. District Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order that blocks the U.S. Department of Education from unlawfully terminating congressionally approved school-based mental health grants.
The order in the case joined by AG Tong and 14 state attorneys general came just days before the Department of Education would have begun terminating grants providing critical mental health services to Connecticut public school students at the end of July. Terminating the grants would have resulted in the projected loss of $3 million used to support social workers in Hartford, New Britain, Vernon and Waterbury schools through 2029.
As a legislator who represents a portion of Vernon, I thank you, AG Tong.
The order will expire on August 24. In the meantime, the court is expected to schedule a hearing on a preliminary injunction, which would provide longer-term protection for grantees, if ordered.
This suit was filed by the attorneys general of Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
