The Menta Education Group lawsuit is a 2023 Cook County Circuit Court case in which the nonprofit special education provider sued the Illinois State Board of Education to block the shutdown of three newly opened Menta Academy locations in Springfield, Centralia, and LaSalle. ISBE ordered the schools closed on October 13, 2023, saying they had never received formal state approval and had used improper student restraint and time-out practices. One week later, Judge Celia Gamrath issued a temporary restraining order that allowed the schools to keep operating while the case proceeded.
Why ISBE Ordered the Schools Closed
ISBE conducted unannounced visits to the three facilities during the week of October 9, 2023. On October 13, it deemed all three programs “not approved,” denied their applications, and directed Menta to notify school districts and parents that the programs lacked authorization. In a public statement, ISBE called Menta’s operation of the schools “egregious and unprecedented.”1The State Journal-Register. ISBE Shuts Down Menta Education Group Students at Springfield To Be Transferred
The agency gave two reasons. The first was procedural: the schools had never received a formal approval letter and were, in ISBE’s view, operating without authorization. The second was substantive. Investigators reported that staff at the Centralia and Springfield locations were physically restraining students and using time-outs when no danger was present, that some staff administered time-outs without required training, and that incidents were not being documented or reported to the state superintendent as required. ISBE also found that personnel at the Springfield and LaSalle locations did not match the staff listed in Menta’s applications.1The State Journal-Register. ISBE Shuts Down Menta Education Group Students at Springfield To Be Transferred Roughly 125 students across 41 school districts were affected.
Menta’s Lawsuit and Legal Argument
Menta, suing through its corporate entity Special Education Services, called the closure “irresponsible” and “unlawful” and filed in Cook County Circuit Court seeking an emergency temporary restraining order and a writ of mandamus.2Southern Illinois Now. State Board of Education Shuts Down Menta School in Centralia and Two Other Cities
The heart of Menta’s argument was that ISBE had effectively approved the programs even though it never issued the final letter. Menta pointed to several things the agency had already done: assigning each school a Private Facility Code and RCDTS number, approving school calendars and per-student rates through the Illinois Purchased Care Review Board, listing the programs as approved on the ISBE website, and giving Menta staff oral assurances of approval. ISBE responded that none of those steps amounted to formal approval and that the required letter had never been issued.3Circuit Court of Cook County. Special Education Services v. ISBE, 23 CH 08823
What the Court Ordered
On October 20, 2023, Judge Gamrath granted the emergency motion in case number 23 CH 08823. She found that Menta had raised a “fair question” that it had met all substantive approval requirements despite the missing letter, and that an immediate shutdown would displace roughly 124 special needs students.3Circuit Court of Cook County. Special Education Services v. ISBE, 23 CH 08823
The order let the three schools keep running “as though their status was approved” while the case proceeded, but it came with conditions. Menta could not enroll new students unless the parties agreed or the court ordered otherwise. The order was not “tacit approval for reimbursement,” and Menta had to warn participating districts that state reimbursement might not come depending on the outcome. ISBE kept its authority to follow standard School Code procedures on approval status or any new concerns. Students, families, and districts remained free to disenroll and seek another placement. The court also waived the usual injunction bond.4The State Journal-Register. Springfield School To Remain Open Following Temporary Restraining Order
Why the Missing Approval Letter Mattered
Illinois law makes the formal paperwork decisive. Under Section 14-7.02 of the Illinois School Code and Part 401 of the administrative regulations, a nonpublic special education program may begin accepting student referrals only after it has received an official one-year approval letter, a rate letter, and assigned facility codes.5Illinois State Board of Education. Nonpublic Special Education Programs Menta had the facility codes and approved rates. It did not have the approval letter. The core legal question was whether the rest of ISBE’s actions added up to de facto approval or whether that single letter was indispensable.
A Separate Lawsuit That Mentions a Menta Facility
A different 2025 case sometimes surfaces in searches about Menta but is not against Menta. Kennedy Hunt, P.C. sued Cahokia School District 187 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (case number 25-cv-1517-RJD) on behalf of a student with disabilities, alleging the district denied physical therapy, speech and language services, and other accommodations, and removed the student from school more than 30 times through what the family calls unauthorized suspensions framed as health pick-ups. The district transferred the student to Menta Academy Belleville in September 2024, and the complaint says speech and language accommodations were not provided there until late October 2024. The claims target the district, not Menta, and the case was still ongoing as of mid-2025.6Kennedy Hunt Law. Kennedy Hunt P.C. Files Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Cahokia School District 187 Board of Education
Where the Case Stands
The available record does not show a final resolution of the 2023 Cook County suit. There is no public indication in the sources of whether the three disputed locations ultimately received formal approval, were permanently closed, or reached a settlement with ISBE. As of 2026, Menta’s website lists roughly 35 operating schools across Illinois, Arizona, Missouri, and Texas and does not reference any ongoing closures or litigation.7Menta Education Group. Schools