Federal Court Denies Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Paving the Way for Devastating Cuts to Illinois Full-Service Community Schools
For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2026
Contact:
Emma Giamberdino, ACT Now Illinois
spencere@actnowillinois.org | (312) 877-0276
Cate Bikales, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
cbikales@clccrul.org | (503) 241-2838
**Media Interviews Available Upon Request**
Federal Court Denies Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Paving the Way for Devastating Cuts to Illinois Full-Service Community Schools
19,000 Illinois students stand to lose vital services on July 1 as funding runs out
CHICAGO — In a devastating blow to nearly 19,000 students and their families across 32 schools in Illinois, on Friday, June 26th, a federal court denied ACT Now Illinois and Metropolitan Family Services’ motion for preliminary injunction and partially granted a motion to dismiss on six of the eight claims filed in the lawsuit. The ruling allows the U.S. Department of Education’s abrupt and unlawful non-continuation of two Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants, totaling $18.5 million annually, to proceed.
The ruling, issued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, comes just days before a temporary agreement keeping the programs afloat is set to expire on June 30. Because of this court action, ACT Now will be forced to cease all FSCS operations on July 1, terminate staff, end contracts with partner schools and community organizations, and dismantle a statewide network that has been built over two years.
“We are heartbroken by the court’s decision,” said Susan Stanton, executive director of ACT Now Illinois. “Our beloved community schools will lose essential support—food pantries, afterschool programs, social workers, healthcare—services that 19,000 children depended on every single day. We were changing lives. In just two years, we had paved the way to success for Illinois’ most vulnerable children. To rip these services away is unconscionable and will devastate communities and worse—the lives of children who deserve better. Congress approved these funds for a reason, and we are now facing the exact lasting harm to our communities that we’ve been warning about for months.”
In December 2025, the Department of Education abruptly issued notices of non-continuation for both FSCS grants two years into a five-year project period. The Department of Education cited statements about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the plaintiff’s original grant applications as the reason for the decision.
“Friday's rulings defeat the whole point of preliminary relief: to minimize the harms to the parties while the court considers the legal issues,” said Michael Ortega, Program Counsel at Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. “Friday's rulings guarantee harm to ACT Now and 19,000 students. That is a setback, but not the end of this fight. We will work hard to identify any potential paths forward for ACT Now Illinois and the students and families they serve across the state.”
“This ruling is devastating for the students and communities who depend on these programs,” said Josie Eskow Skinner, Partner at Sligo Law Group. “The Department of Education’s unlawful and arbitrary decision to discontinue these community-identified services is causing real and immediate harm to students and families who need them the most. We are exploring all available options to hold the Department accountable and ensure these critical supports continue.”
“This decision jeopardizes two years of work to build the staff capacity, partnerships, and community trust necessary to sustain these programs,” said Alec Solotorovsky, Partner at Eimer Stahl LLP. “The denial of preliminary relief will have immediate and harmful consequences for students and families, disrupting services and undermining educational opportunities for those who depend on them most.”
Rebecca Kinsey, a Community School Supervisor at the Baby Fold, who works at a school that was funded by the grant in Normal, IL shared, “I don’t know how I will tell my staff, the teachers, and kiddos I work with. We saw a community reborn with this grant. We were saving lives, helping people get back on their feet when they could not obtain medical care or had no home. How do you get a first grader to understand why we can’t help them or their mom in the way we used to? This is so much more than a court case. It is a desertion of basic human needs.”
ACT Now and its partner schools are holding events across the state to share the impact of these devastating losses:
June 30, 2026, 9:30 AM Press Conference at Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Service, 4000 S. Archer, Chicago, IL 60632
June 30, 2026, 4:30 PM FSCS Community Event: Summer Jam, Pine Crest Elementary, 505 S. Kennedy Dr., Georgetown, IL 61846
July 1, 2026, 11:00 AM Student Voices Event, Vienna High School, 601 N 1st Street, Vienna, IL 62995
ACT Now Illinois is represented in the case by Sligo Law Group PLLC, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and Eimer Stahl LLP. The case is Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) Coalition and Metropolitan Family Services v. U.S. Department of Education, No. 1:25-cv-15704.
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ACT Now is a statewide coalition supported by afterschool providers, families, business leaders, school districts, community advocates, youth organizations, and policymakers.