LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education for cutting funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.

Nessel joined a coalition of 16 state attorneys general to file the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. California, Colorado, and Wisconsin are among the states suing the Department of Education.

MORE NEWS: Deadline Comes and Goes as Budget Talks Stall in Split Capitol

“The complaint alleges that the Department of Education’s funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution,” a press release said. “The attorneys general ask a federal judge to rule the funding cuts are illegal and seek an injunction rescinding the non-continuation decision.”

According to Nessel, mental health should be a priority, especially when it comes to students.

“Cutting funding that Congress has already approved isn’t just illegal – it’s irresponsible,” she said in the press release. “It will only deepen the mental health crisis in our schools. I will continue fighting to restore these critical resources and ensure Michigan students have the support they need to succeed.”

Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications strategy at the Department of Education, said mental health funding is being misused.

“Recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help,” Biedermann said. “We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students’ mental health.”