The Department of Education on Tuesday said it opened a Title VI investigation into Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for running a program that it says discriminates on the basis of race.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Defending Education with the department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), “alleging that CPS has an academic-achievement initiative that discriminates against students on the basis of race.”
Defending Education is a nonprofit working to “restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas,” according to its website.
“The complaint asserts that CPS’s 2023-2024 ‘Black Students Success Plan’ violates Title VI by focusing on remedial measures only for black students, despite acknowledging that Chicago students of all races struggle academically,” the Department of Education’s news release stated.
Department spokeswoman Julie Hartman confirmed to The Center Square that the Department of Education sent the investigation letter to CPS Tuesday afternoon.
Chicago Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a release concerning its February complaint, Defending Education alleges that a presentation for the Black Students Success Plan is meant to be a “deep equity-focused planning process that will result in a comprehensive set of targeted recommendations aimed at determining the appropriate inputs that support closing outcome gaps for Black students in the district.”
Defending Education said that “discrimination on the basis of race raises concerns that Chicago Public Schools has received federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
Title VI “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,” according to the Department of Justice.
Defending Education president and founder Nicole Neily said in the Department of Education’s news release that “no student should be denied an educational opportunity because of the color of their skin, yet perversely, that’s exactly what Chicago Public Schools has chosen to do – despite the fact that the district’s own data clearly demonstrates that students of all races are struggling academically.
“Amid abysmal proficiency rates, discipline crises, and a nearly $10 billion budget deficit, district leaders made a conscious decision to allocate finite resources to some students and not others,” Neily said.
“We are grateful that the Department of Education has opened an investigation into this injustice,” Neily said.
“The education provided by CPS enabled my family to rebuild their lives after leaving the internment camps in California during WWII – which is why I find it particularly lamentable that the system now encourages treating students differently on the basis of race,” Neily said.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor asserted that “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.”
“Rather than address its record honestly, CPS seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race,” Trainor said.
“The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow federal funds, provided for the benefit of all students, to be used in this pernicious and unlawful manner,” Trainor said.
“To CPS, I say this: Every American student deserves access to a quality education, and the Trump Administration will fight tirelessly to uphold that ideal and ensure all students are treated equally under law,” Trainor said.
According to Defending Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District ran a similar program as CPS’s “Black Students Success Plan.”
After an OCR complaint filed by Defending Education, Los Angeles Unified School District “dropped race as an official factor” for its “Black Student Achievement Plan.”
