The federal government launched an investigation into Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday related to allegations of discrimination in the district’s Black Student Success Plan.
The plan to uplift Black students was solidified in 2021 legislation creating an elected school board. Activists who championed it argued that Black students were uniquely positioned to fail due to long-standing racial inequalities in Chicago and the result of historic and ongoing discrimination in the United States.
But students of all races struggle academically in Chicago, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on Tuesday.
The release acknowledged that the CPS had organized dozens of meetings with community members to implement the plan. It cited district data reporting low reading levels for Black students, but said that Latino students face even more difficulties.
“Rather than address its record honestly, CPS seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, is quoted as saying in the release.
District officials said in a statement that CPS “does not comment on ongoing investigations.” The Black Student Success Plan is codified in and mandated by state law, officials said.
Among other commitments, the plan aims to increase the number of Black educators, work to reduce disciplinary actions against Black students and increase efforts to teach Black history and culture in classrooms.
The district initially released its blueprint for improving educational outcomes for Black students in February. It was immediately challenged by a group with a history of scorning race-based policies, called Parents Defending Education.
The Department of Education’s announcement of its investigation refers to that group’s complaint, which alleged the district’s Black Student Success Plan “violates Title VI by focusing on remedial measures only for Black students.” Parents Defending Education also filed a complaint against a similar initiative in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Tuesday’s investigation announcement is part of a series of government actions targeting the school district. In March, the federal government opened an investigation into CPS and the state for alleged violations of sex discrimination under Title IX. President Donald Trump’s administration threatened to withhold funding from school districts earlier this month for failing to comply with civil rights law.
Trump has also requested state compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, referencing “certain DEI practices” or “illegal DEI.”
Tony Sanders, state superintendent of education, wrote a letter in response that the Illinois State Board of Education “will comply with Title VI and its implementing regulation” and that “there are no federal or State laws prohibiting diversity, equity, or inclusion.”
District leaders have thus far stood strong in the face of threats on their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. At a board meeting last week, school board members solidified their commitment to the plan by codifying the Black Student Success Committee, chaired by longtime education activist Jitu Brown, of District 5 on the West Side.