On December 30, 2025, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, and North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued the Department of Education to stop unlawful cuts to congressionally approved funding for Full Service Community School (FSCS) programs. 

FSCS projects focus critical resources on elementary and secondary schools that need them most, offering students and their families additional support to meet academic, health, and social challenges. The Department of Education awards FSCS grants for five-year project periods and makes yearly decisions to continue each grant’s funding. Regulations require the Department of Education to decide whether to continue a grantee’s funding based solely on “relevant information regarding grantee performance.” The grants support students in rural and under-resourced areas by expanding learning opportunities, addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences that affect student development and success, strengthening and retaining effective elementary and middle school educators, and improving student achievement. They also fund early childhood education and literacy initiatives, family programming, and college and career exposure opportunities, including college tours and presentations from trade programs.

In mid-December 2025, the Department of Education sent generic notices to numerous grantees, claiming that their programs conflicted with the Trump administration’s priorities and that funding would be immediately discontinued.  Despite the abrupt termination, the Department of Education had previously reviewed and approved how this funding would be used when the grants were awarded. Schools were transparent from the outset about how they planned to support students, the Department signed off on those plans, and districts relied on that approval to hire staff and build programs. Now, without alleging misuse or performance failure, the Department is terminating these grants. Under federal law, multi-year grants like these can only be terminated for performance-based reasons. 

The lawsuit alleges that the Department of Education’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, federal education regulations, and the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress – not executive agencies – the authority to direct federal spending.

The Department of Education’s unlawful decision to abruptly cut funding for FSCS programs will strip hundreds of Maryland students and families of essential support for food, housing, and educational resources. We’re taking legal action because these programs are lifelines for Maryland families, and our students’ futures cannot be jeopardized. Attorney General Anthony Brown