AG Platkin Joins Multistate Coalition in Fighting to Restore Access to Funding that Helps Schools, Teachers, and Vulnerable Students Recover from COVID-19

DoED Complaint | DoEd Exhibit

TRENTON – New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today joined a coalition of 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in suing the Trump Administration to restore states’ access to essential U.S. Department of Education programs that provide funding for services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students in New Jersey and across the country. The directive challenged in today’s lawsuit cuts off access to hundreds of millions of dollars in education funding to the States, including approximately $85 million in education funding for New Jersey alone.

On March 28, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) notified states that it was unilaterally ending access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which ED had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. ED’s sudden change in position and arbitrary termination of states’ access to these funds will cause serious harm to students throughout the country.

“Cutting off funding to some of the most vulnerable students in our state and jeopardizing programs to help students recover from COVID-19 learning loss is cruel and illegal,” said Attorney General Platkin. “This rash decision hurts school districts across our state, throwing their budgets into turmoil and hurting their ability to provide the quality education to which students are entitled. On behalf of our students, teachers, and schools, we are filing suit to force the Trump Administration to reverse its unlawful and reckless directive.

“The school districts that received liquidation extensions have created budgets, entered into contracts, purchased raw materials, and developed project plans to conduct infrastructure improvements in compliance with federal program requirements,” said New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. “Through this partnership we are working to address this matter in a way that supports the districts working diligently to foster safe educational environments for New Jersey students.”

To combat the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ARPA funded education-related programs to help support the school systems in states and direct more resources to the most vulnerable students. These programs provide essential resources to help schools and students recover from the lasting impacts of the pandemic. These programs also support critical services to help vulnerable students, including unhoused youth, reach their full potential and recover from missed classroom time and other negative effects of the pandemic.

Attorney General Platkin and the coalition assert that the U.S. Department of Education’s arbitrary and abrupt revocation of the states’ access to these funds is causing a massive, unexpected budget gap that will hurt students and teachers by cutting off access to vital education services.

Attorney General Platkin and the coalition argue that the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to abruptly cut off access to awarded funds violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it reversed its prior decision to allow states to access the funds through March 2026 and instead immediately terminated the states’ access without a sufficient explanation and contrary to Congress’ intent. With this lawsuit, Attorney General Platkin and the coalition are seeking a preliminary and permanent court order preventing ED from arbitrarily changing its position so the states can continue to access these essential funds.

Joining Attorney General Platkin in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and the District of Columbia, along with the Governor of Pennsylvania.

###