American schools have faced growing mental health challenges in recent years. Many parents welcomed increased support for students struggling with anxiety, depression, and other issues. Yet another “feel-good” government program that wasn’t what it seemed.

The Joe Biden administration appeared to respond to this need. They directed significant funding toward school mental health resources through two programs: the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program.

This investment seemed like a rare example of bipartisan common ground in education policy.

But a bombshell report from Parents Defending Education (PDE) has revealed the truth. These “mental health” funds – over $100 million – were largely directed toward training school social workers in critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and other divisive ideological concepts.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

Mental Health Funds or Ideological Training?

The grants were distributed to 26 universities across the country. Instead of focusing primarily on evidence-based mental health interventions, these programs required courses teaching about “oppression,” “white supremacy,” “privilege,” and “racial capitalism.”

“School social workers did not use to spend years marinating in highly ideological courses about privilege, oppression, racial capitalism, and white supremacy, but today, this is common practice in public and private universities,” said Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for PDE.

She added a crucial question: “How can a social worker help students become the best version of themselves if they see them as oppressors with unearned privilege?”

This revelation raises serious concerns about how taxpayer dollars were spent. While students struggled with legitimate mental health challenges, the Biden administration prioritized ideological training over practical support. You truly can’t make this stuff up.

What Your Tax Dollars Are Teaching School Social Workers

The specific university programs reveal disturbing requirements. Georgia State University received $8 million for a program that mandates a class on “Diversity and Social Justice.” This course “focuses on understanding and applying multicultural concepts to practice, developing awareness of one’s cultural identity.”

Meanwhile, the University of Alaska Anchorage received $1.2 million for programs requiring explicitly titled DEI courses that use “intersectionality as a framework for exploring multiple dimensions of difference and their relationship to oppression, privilege, and cultural humility.”

Perhaps most concerning is Indiana University’s $5.7 million grant. Their social work program teaches about “anti-oppression,” “heterosexism,” and “white privilege” over a five-year period. I don’t know about you, but I thought school counselors were supposed to help kids, not label them.

University president Pamela Whitten celebrated these grants as evidence of their “ongoing commitment to prioritizing mental health.” However, parents might question whether teaching social workers to view students through a lens of “oppression” and “privilege” truly helps address mental health challenges.

Trump Administration Pushes Back

Since taking office, the Trump administration has worked to eliminate divisive and discriminatory concepts from schools. The Department of Education has cut hundreds of millions in teacher training grants that advanced similar ideological content.

These efforts have faced resistance. A Biden-appointed judge recently ordered the reinstatement of some grants that the current administration had terminated.

IT should be noted that the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has explicitly stated that advancing “social justice” is one of its core values. The organization posted messages encouraging social workers to “take action” against Donald Trump’s executive orders.

The battle over how children receive mental health support in schools continues to divide along ideological lines. True mental health assistance requires focusing on children’s individual needs rather than filtering help through political frameworks.

Key Takeaways:

• The Biden administration diverted $100 million meant for student mental health to ideological training programs.
• School social workers are being taught to view children through divisive lenses of “privilege” and “oppression.”
• Parents’ advocacy groups exposed this deceptive use of taxpayer funds for political indoctrination.
• The Trump administration is working to redirect education resources back to actual student needs.

Source: Daily Caller