Well, folks, the judicial gavel has dropped hard on the Trump administration’s bid to axe school mental health grants, proving once again that bureaucracy can outmaneuver common sense.
According to the Daily Caller, on Dec. 5, 2025, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a prior ruling to block the administration from scrapping these grants, which the Department of Education criticized for pushing divisive ideas, leaving the ultimate verdict to a district court in the near future.
Let’s roll back to the origins of this saga, when the first Trump administration launched these grants after the tragic 2018 Parkland shooting to bolster mental health support in schools.
Fast forward to 2022, and the Biden administration retooled the program to emphasize culturally inclusive environments and partnerships with historically black colleges, tribal colleges, and minority-serving institutions.
They even broadened the equity definition under the General Education Provisions Act to include gender identity, alongside barriers like race, gender, and age—stretching the original intent into progressive territory.
Now, the current Trump administration argues these grants foster ideologies centered on race and sex that divide rather than unite, aiming to halt their renewal after the year’s end.
Instead, they’re crafting a revised version of the grants to ban what they call gender ideology, political activism, and racial stereotyping, while ensuring no hostile settings for students of any background.
The goal remains clear—more mental health specialists in schools—but without the ideological baggage that many conservatives see as a distraction from core education needs.
Yet, a Biden-appointed judge stepped in during October to stop the cancellation, a move now backed by the 9th Circuit, which found the administration lacking a strong case for success.
Adding fuel to the fire, 16 Democrat-led states sued in June, claiming the termination of these funds blocks vital services for student well-being and academic growth.
They further contend it violates federal rules requiring grant applicants to tackle equity issues, painting the administration’s move as not just unwise but unlawful.
While the Department of Education stayed silent on inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation, the silence speaks volumes about the contentious nature of this policy fight.
This tussle isn’t just about mental health funding; it’s a battle over whether schools should be battlegrounds for cultural agendas or sanctuaries for learning.
With a district court decision looming, conservatives must hope the final ruling prioritizes student safety over expansive interpretations of equity that often seem more about ideology than practical help. Let’s keep the focus on kids’ real needs, not the latest social engineering trend.