ORANGE — Summer and after-school programming appears to be in jeopardy after the U.S. Department of Education announced it is withholding certain funding, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants, for the 2025-2026 school year.

The money, appropriated by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 15, was expected to be released to states on July 1 to support summer learning that is now underway and after-school programs starting this fall. However, state-level education agencies across the country were notified on June 30 that the funds are on hold, pending a review process. Fisher Hill Elementary and Ralph C. Mahar Regional schools run after-school and summer programming with a 21st CCLC grant, and Curriculum Director Danielle Boucher said this decision means that programming might not move forward.

“Many of our families, especially at the elementary school level, rely on these programs, not only to help their students develop academic and social-emotional skills, but also for child care after school and over the summers,” she wrote in an email.

Boucher explained the Mahar program resembles a club or session-style program. All students are allowed to attend, though it is specifically designed to support students with disabilities. Sessions are created based on student interest and meant to foster a connection between the students’ passions and real-world skills.

The Fisher Hill program is also run for the same purposes, to support students with disabilities and any other student who wishes to attend.

“Their school-year program provides a place for students to go after school and supports a lot of our families who need a safe place for their kids to go in the hours that fall between the end of the school day and when they return home from their job,” Boucher explained in an email. “Their summer programming does essentially the same thing for them. All of their sessions are meant to support the learning of our students who struggle the most.”

These summer programs were scheduled to begin Monday and last through July 31.

Patrick Stanton, executive director of the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership, explained that this funding freeze ties up $19.9 million in 21st CCLC funding that serves at least 20,000 students across the state.

“These programs are vital lifelines, offering academic support, safe spaces and enriching experiences to youth — especially those from low-income families, English learners and students with disabilities,” he said.

Stanton said he has been informed that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has enough funding to last the summer — but that the funding is expected to run out in mid-September.

“We’re not really sure why the money was frozen. We’re still waiting for more information,” he explained. “It’s potentially catastrophic for some of these programs. They may not be able to operate at all. This is about the kids and them being impacted.”

Boucher said Title II, Title III and Title IV program funding — which she noted is vital to improving achievement in Orange’s schools — is also frozen. She shared with the Greenfield Recorder a direct communication from DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez. The communication stated that the U.S. Department of Education is also withholding money for Integrated English Language and Civics Education programs, and the Adult Education Basic Grants to States program.

“While this leaves us all with a great deal of uncertainty, what seems clear is that these grant programs … will be, at the very least, delayed this year,” Martinez wrote.

An email from the federal Office of Management and Budget states the freeze is part of an ongoing programmatic review of education funding and that no final decisions have yet been made.

“Initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda. In one case, New York public schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations,” the email reads. “In another, Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants toward scholarships intended for American students. In yet another, School Improvement funds were used to conduct a seminar on ‘queer resistance in the arts.’”

The Office of Management and Budget did not provide documentation or evidence of its findings, though the Washington Student Achievement Council’s website states there are scholarships for students who are not American citizens, and some are specifically for undocumented students.

The Afterschool Alliance, which works to ensure all youth have access to affordable and quality after-school programs, has launched a tool (tinyurl.com/ReleaseFunds) that allows people to contact their federal delegation in an effort to get the frozen funding released.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.