The U.S. Education Department is investigating Chicago Public Schools amid allegations that a new program designed to improve academic success and retention among Black students and educators violates federal law.
The investigation announced Tuesday is based on a February complaint by the nonprofit Parents Defending Education, now known as Defending Education, which alleged the school system’s academic-achievement initiative for Black students racially discriminates against students, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The investigation appears to be the first time since President Donald Trump took office in January that the department has investigated a public school system for instituting a racially based program.
The school district is the fourth-largest in the nation with 321,000 students, of which 35% were Black in the 2023-2024 academic school year.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said Chicago Public Schools sought through the Black Student Success Plan to allocate resources favoring students based on race.
“Chicago Public Schools have a record of academic failure, leaving students from all backgrounds and races struggling and ill-prepared to meet the challenges and enjoy the rewards of contemporary American life,” Trainor said in a statement.
Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in education programs receiving federal funding. Schools found in violation of the act can lose federal funds, the department said.
“Chicago Public Schools does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation,” the school system said Wednesday.
School officials said the Black Student Success Plan was designed to ensure students had an equitable learning experience.
The school system announced the Black Student Success Plan during Black History Month in February, saying it aimed to improve academic achievement and to recruit and retain educators and leaders.
“The District is committed to removing these obstacles and calls upon the community to support efforts to better serve Black students,” Chicago Public Schools Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said when the initiative was made public.
Defending Education said in its complaint that “members oppose discrimination on the basis of race and political indoctrination in America’s schools” and called the plan “racially exclusive.”
The organization could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The plan was scheduled to start this spring with the goal of shortening education gaps and fostering engagement with Black students and families, school officials said.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said the investigation was an attempt to hinder progress in the school system.
“Rather than using the Department to create opportunities for students, Trump and (Education Secretary Linda E.) McMahon appear determined to transform it into a debt collection agency and a vehicle to dismantle the civil rights protections that support students and their families,” she said in a statement.
