A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Education to resume pandemic recovery funding that had been abruptly cut off in several states, including Maryland, where tutoring and after-school programs were shuttered.

Judge Edgardo Ramos of the Southern District of New York ruled on Tuesday in favor of Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and over a dozen other attorneys general in halting the federal Department of Education from withholding the over $1 billion in pandemic recovery funding.

In Maryland, all 24 school systems used the funds for either social-emotional wellness, summer learning, renovations or tutoring. For Brown, the ruling is a big win for Maryland families and vulnerable children.

“COVID-19 may be over, but its impact is still being felt in schools across our State and nation as reading and math scores remain lower than pre-pandemic levels and students continue to struggle with behavioral health issues since schools reopened,” Brown said in a news release. “This ruling preserves hundreds of millions of dollars for Maryland schools.”

Tuesday’s ruling comes just a week after Maryland officials said the federal education department had not been responsive to their requests for $232 million in reimbursements. Previously, states could access money within the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund — authorized by federal pandemic relief laws — to support school recovery efforts. The funding was expected to remain available through March 2026.

Local school districts could spend the money and submit reimbursement requests from the state, which paid them through federal government funding. That was until Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter on March 28 at 5:03 p.m. saying reimbursements would end at 5 p.m., sending Maryland education officials into shock and lawmakers and the attorney general into action.

Maryland Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, along with Reps. Glenn Ivey, John Olszewski Jr. and Sarah Elfreth signed a congressional letter to McMahon urging her to rescind what they called an “abrupt and chaotic revision of policy” on April 7. By April 11, Brown and 15 other attorneys general sued.

But the damage had been done. Tutoring during the school day was eliminated for 1,100 Baltimore students, and after-school programs ended for 3,000 others in early April.

Representatives from the Maryland Department of Education and Baltimore City Public Schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Banner reporter Liz Bowie contributed to this report.