White House opens inquiry into Chicago school program aimed at helping Black students

The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into Chicago public schools over allegations that a program aimed at improving academic outcomes among Black students violates federal law.

The department has also warned that it could withhold federal funding from the district.

The investigation, announced on Tuesday, is being overseen by the education department’s office for civil rights and stems from a complaint filed by Parents Defending Education, a conservative group based in Virginia.

The complaint targets the district’s Black Student Success Plan, alleging that it “discriminates against students on the basis of race”, which the Trump administration claims violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal financial assistance.

In the complaint, the group alleges that the school district is “failing students of all races and ethnicities, which makes this racially segregated program all the more egregious”.

Chicago public schools described the Black Student Success Plan as being part of the system’s “commitment to eliminating educational opportunity gaps and ensuring Black students have the support needed to achieve academic success and personal growth” in a February news release announcing the initiative.

The plan, which was to start this spring, includes “implementing culturally responsive practices and instruction, ensuring equitable resource allocation, increasing the recruitment and retention of Black educators and leaders, and fostering meaningful engagement with Black students and families”, according to the news release.

The chief education officer of Chicago public schools, Bogdana Chkoumbova, said at the time that the district was “committed to removing these obstacles and calls upon the community to support efforts to better serve Black students”, adding: “Together, we can create an inclusive educational environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive.”

The Department of Education’s investigation into the Chicago school district appears to be the first time since Trump took office again in January that the department has investigated a public school system for implementing a race-based program, according to NBC News.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, Craig Trainor, said 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”.

Trainor argued that the Black Student Success Plan “seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race”.

“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 added.

In response to the investigation announcement this week, the Chicago Teachers Union president, Stacy Davis Gates, called the probe an “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,” Davis Gates added.