The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an investigation into Chicago Public Schools (CPS) following allegations of racial discrimination.
The inquiry stems from a complaint filed by Parents Defending Education (now Defending Education), which claims CPS’s “Black Students Success Plan” violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaint asserts that the 2023-2024 initiative, designed to improve academic outcomes for Black students, unfairly focuses on one racial group while neglecting the struggles faced by students of all races within the district.
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Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor expressed serious concerns, stating, “Chicago Public Schools have a record of academic failure, leaving students from all backgrounds and races struggling and ill-prepared…Rather than address its record honestly, CPS seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race.”
He emphasized the Department’s commitment to ensuring equal treatment for all students under the law.
Defending Ed President and Founder Nicole Neily echoed this sentiment, saying, “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.”
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The “Black Students Success Plan” reportedly emerged from a “deep equity-focused planning process” aimed at closing outcome gaps for Black students.
While the initiative focuses solely on Black students, internal CPS documents allegedly acknowledge that students across all racial groups in Chicago face academic challenges.
One cited slide indicated that only 6 percent of Black students were at or above grade level in reading proficiency, but also showed that only 5 percent of Hispanic students achieved the same level.
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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any education program or activity receiving federal funding. A violation of Title VI could lead to the loss of federal funds for CPS. The OCR investigation will now examine the allegations and determine whether CPS’s initiative violates federal law.
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