A federal judge ordered the permanent reinstatement of school‑based and professional development mental‑health grants in 16 states after finding the Education Department’s April cancellation unlawful. The grants, part of a program initially available in 2018, funded partnerships — including with colleges of social work and psychology — to expand school‑based mental‑health staffing. U.S. District Judge Kymberly Evanson concluded the department’s abrupt termination violated the Administrative Procedure Act and criticized politicized decision‑making that disrupted ongoing multi‑year projects. The department had reallocated roughly $208 million under revised priorities that narrowed allowable hires to school psychologists, excluding counselors and social workers. The ruling restores funding and signals judicial pushback against midstream federal grant cancellations, creating implications for state education budgets, university partnerships that supply trainees and supervisors, and ongoing student‑behavior and safety interventions on campuses and K–12 systems.