ACT Now Illinois Files Federal Lawsuit to Protect Full-Service Community Schools Serving 19,000 Students
For Immediate Release
Dec. 29, 2025
Contact:
Susan Stanton
stantons@actnowillinois.org | (312) 877-0725
Jaclyn Driscoll
jaclyn@sgstrategies.com | (217) 371-7373
**Media Interviews Available Upon Request**
ACT Now Illinois Files Federal Lawsuit to Protect Full-Service Community Schools Serving 19,000 Students
CHICAGO — ACT Now Illinois, through its fiscal sponsor Metropolitan Family Services, today filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to discontinue two federal Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants that support schools and families across Illinois. The lawsuit follows the U.S. Department of Education’s denial of ACT Now’s request for reconsideration and reversal, which was received earlier this afternoon.
ACT Now is represented in the litigation by the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the Sligo Law Group, organizations with deep experience protecting civil rights, educational equity, and due process.
The grants, which total $18.5 million annually, fund community school services in 16 school districts and 32 schools, serving approximately 19,000 students and their families. The Department’s decision, if allowed to stand, would effectively terminate funding on December 31, despite the grants having been awarded for multiple years and the FSCS program itself not being eliminated.
“This action places students, families, and school communities in an impossible position,” said Susan Stanton, Executive Director of ACT Now. “Full-Service Community Schools are built on long-term relationships, stable staffing, and coordinated services. Abruptly cutting off funding mid-year dismantles that infrastructure and causes harm that cannot be undone.”
Full-Service Community Schools integrate academics, mental and behavioral health services, family engagement, and workforce-connected supports through locally driven partnerships between schools and community organizations. In Illinois, these programs emphasize parent voice, local control, and solutions tailored to community needs.
ACT Now filed suit after receiving a notice of discontinuation citing alleged application-related issues, despite the grants having been approved, funded, and implemented without prior notice of noncompliance. ACT Now has also submitted formal letters of reconsideration to the Department of Education and has communicated its full compliance with all applicable administrative requirements and executive orders.
“The Department’s decision forces schools to begin shutting down services and laying off staff before any appeal can be meaningfully reviewed,” Stanton said. “That makes the reconsideration process illusory and effectively terminates the grants before due process can occur.”
“ACT Now’s implementation of the Full-Service Community Schools Program aligns with the Congressional intent to provide students from underserved rural and urban populations with access to a high-quality education and holistic community-based services,” said Beatriz Diaz-Pollack, Director of Education Equity at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. “These programs are effective, improve student outcomes, and support working families across Illinois communities. The expedient and unjustified non-continuation of these grants disregards law and process and will cause harm to the numerous school communities served by this program.”
“Department of Education grantees are entitled to a transparent and predictable grants process. Last-minute decisions to cut funding, particularly when they have nothing to do with performance, don’t just create administrative chaos, they immediately harm the students and families these programs exist to serve,” said Josie Eskow Skinner, Partner at Sligo Law Group.
“This is not about politics or policy preferences,” said Emily Merolli, Partner at Sligo Law Group. “It is about whether the agency followed the long-established legal framework. Here, the Department of Education has flagrantly disregarded its established process, and in doing so, is causing real and immediate harm to the schools and communities that have acted in good faith.”
The lawsuit seeks to prevent irreparable harm to students, families, educators, and community partners by restoring access to grant funds while the Department’s decision is reviewed.
ACT Now emphasized that it is pursuing all available avenues to protect students and families, including legal action, congressional engagement, and coordination with state leaders.
“Our focus remains where it has always been—on ensuring students and families continue to receive the supports they rely on,” Stanton said.
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