Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, along with his counterparts from North Carolina and the District of Columbia, has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Maryland, the lawsuit contends that the DOE unlawfully terminated funding for Full-Service Community School programs, which have been approved by Congress. The attorneys general assert that these abrupt cuts undermine essential support for public schools in high-poverty areas.
In a statement, Brown emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “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.”
Impact of Full-Service Community Schools
Full-Service Community Schools operate as vital neighborhood hubs, combining traditional classroom instruction with crucial health care, food assistance, housing support, and other social services. The aim is to eliminate barriers to learning and enhance educational outcomes. In Maryland, the number of community schools has surged significantly under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future initiative, rising from approximately 454 in 2023 to a projected 621 by fiscal 2025, with aspirations to reach nearly 700.
Baltimore City alone hosts around 154 community schools, which include various elementary, middle, and high schools, such as Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove. These institutions have become integral to their communities, providing essential services to families in need.
Details of the Legal Challenge
Federal law permits the DOE to allocate grants for Full-Service Community Schools for five-year terms, with funding decisions based on program performance. However, the lawsuit claims that in mid-December, the DOE issued notices to grantees nationwide, indicating that their programs were in conflict with the priorities of the previous administration and would be discontinued without lawful justification.
One significant program affected by this decision is managed by the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMB), which received a $1.9 million grant in 2022 to support students at Renaissance Academy and Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts. According to the lawsuit, this program has notably improved attendance and provided hundreds of students with food distribution, housing assistance, and help with utility bills.
Just two weeks before Christmas in December 2022, the DOE informed UMB of the grant’s cancellation, citing two references to “anti-racism” in the original application as the reason for the abrupt decision. This cut effectively removes approximately $800,000 in funding over the next two years, further jeopardizing the support these schools provide.
The attorneys general argue that the funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act by ignoring mandatory performance-based standards and failing to offer a lawful explanation for the terminations. They are seeking a federal court to declare these actions unlawful and to issue an injunction that would restore the grants.
If the cuts remain in effect, Brown warned, they could dismantle critical academic and social support systems for students not only in Maryland but across the nation. The outcome of this lawsuit may set a significant precedent for the future of community school funding and the support they provide to vulnerable populations.
