US Education Department looking into Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Achievement Plan following a complaint from Defending Education.

CHICAGO (WLS) — An investigation has been initiated by the U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration into Chicago Public Schools over accusations of racial discrimination.

A DOE statement says its Office for Civil Rights is looking into allegations that CPS’ Black Students Success Plan violates Title VI.

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The Department of Education (DOE) received a complaint from the group Defending Education, alleging that the 2023-2024 program of CPS shows racial discrimination by providing remedial support exclusively to black students, despite recognizing that students of all racial backgrounds in Chicago face academic challenges.

“Chicago Public Schools have a history of academic underachievement, resulting in students of different races and backgrounds struggling and being inadequately prepared for modern American life,” stated Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. “Rather than honestly addressing its academic performance, CPS appears to be directing extra resources to selected students based on their race. The Trump-McMahon Department of Education is firm in its stance to prevent federal funds, designated for the benefit of all students, from being utilized in such harmful and illegal ways. To CPS, I would like to emphasize that every American student deserves equitable access to quality education, and the Trump Administration is committed to vigorously upholding this principle and ensuring fairness for all students under the law.”

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates issued a statement, saying in part, “Today’s action by the Trump Administration’s Department of Education, influenced by the right-wing group Defending Education, is yet another attempt to hinder the progress we are striving to achieve. Rather than using the Department to create opportunities for students, Trump and 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.”

Full statement from CTU President Stacy Davis Gates:

“As a Black mother of three, a high school history teacher, and the president of a union that represents educators serving a predominantly Black and Brown student body, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of years of disinvestment, redlining, and the push to privatize public schools in our neighborhood. These factors have significantly affected the lives and educational trajectories of our students – and ultimately, their futures.

Whether it was the impact of Rahm Emanuel’s closure of more than 50 neighborhood public schools, or the efforts by Paul Vallas and Arne Duncan to undermine our classrooms and surrounding school communities, the Black Student Success Plan was developed to address the man-made educational achievement gap. This gap was created by those intent on shutting the doors of opportunity for families like mine, particularly in specific ZIP codes.

Today’s action by the Trump Administration’s Department of Education, influenced by the right-wing group Defending Education, is yet another attempt to hinder the progress we are striving to achieve. Rather than using the Department to create opportunities for students, Trump and 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.

In response to the administration’s misguided priorities, we are proud to stand with our most vulnerable students and support our classrooms. With our newly ratified agreement with CPS, we’ve secured protections for our LGBTQIA+ students and ensured that educators have the freedom to teach the complex and nuanced chapters of American and Chicago history.

At CTU, standing in solidarity is more than just words. It’s action. It is the action we took in our contract to ensure that our schools were forcefields of protection for Black, Brown, and vulnerable students. And on Thursday, we will respond to the challenge from the Trump administration’s Education Department with one of our own – a challenge driven and powered by everyday workers and community members in all 50 states in over 1,100 actions on May Day to resist Trump’s attempts to take this country backward to the time of the Gilded Age.

We expect CPS to stand up against this baseless investigation – and we call on our city and state leaders to take real action to protect our students and schools. The White House is making its intent clear: to dismantle public education and bully the children who attend our schools.”