A plan to empower Chicago, IL-based Black students is now being investigated by the federal government.
According to ABC 7, Chicago Public Schools is being investigated by the Trump administration’s Department of Education — led by Linda E. McMahon — for allegedly using racial discrimination in its Black Students Success Plan.
The plan is a five-year initiative that was announced during Black History Month 2025 to improve graduation rates and reduce suspensions for Black students, increase hiring of Black teachers, and “combat anti-Blackness” through its curriculums and professional development, notes Chalkbeat-Chicago.
“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,” Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates commented in her statement, according to ABC 7. “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.”
The Trump administration says the plan goes against Title VI, which stems from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and does not permit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities that are receiving federal dollars, according to the Department of Justice.
“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,” U.S. Department of Education Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said, per ABC 7. “Rather than address its record honestly, CPS 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. 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.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in early April that he would sue the Trump administration for withholding federal dollars for efforts tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to another Chalkbeat-Chicago report.
“We’re gonna sue. It’s unconstitutional to disrupt freedom of speech. We’re not going to be intimidated by these threats, it’s just that simple. Whatever it is that this tyrant is trying to do to this city, we’re going to fight back,” he said.
