The AFT and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s abrupt and unlawful decision to terminate millions of dollars in funding for Full-Service Community Schools in the middle of approved, multi-year projects. Democracy Forward and Jacobson Lawyers Group PLLC represent the plaintiffs. The lawsuit explains that, despite strong performance by grantees and clear congressional direction, the Department cut off funding without notice, without lawful justification, and without following required procedures. As a result, more than $60 million in unused, congressionally appropriated funds designated to support students, families, and communities in vulnerable situations are set to expire on December 31, 2025. The complaint alleges that the Department, under the Trump-Vance administration, has abandoned that established process and replaced it with newly created policy preferences that were never adopted through lawful rulemaking. The plaintiffs argue that the Department’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, federal education law, and Congress’s direction to the agency to use the funds it appropriated to fund community schools. The case is Brighton Park Neighborhood Council et al. v. McMahon et al.