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A federal investigation is now underway into a Chicago Public Schools plan aimed at closing opportunity gaps for Black students—marking the first time the Trump administration has used the Department of Education to challenge a major racial equity initiative in one of the nation’s largest school systems.
The Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation this week following a complaint from Defending Education, a conservative group that claims the CPS Black Student Success Plan unfairly favors Black students. The group argues that the plan violates federal civil rights law by providing targeted resources to one group, even as CPS data show students of all races are falling behind.
Federal officials echoed those claims in a pointed statement.
“Rather than address its record honestly, CPS seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race,” said Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. “Every American student deserves access to a quality education, and the Trump administration will fight tirelessly to uphold that ideal.”
Nicole Neily, who leads Defending Education, said the CPS plan makes the wrong choice at the wrong time.
“District leaders made a conscious decision to allocate finite resources to some students and not others,” she said, pointing to low reading scores and a nearly $10 billion budget deficit.
CTU: This Is Political
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said the federal investigation isn’t about fairness. It’s a political move meant to block progress.
“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,” said Davis Gates. “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
She added that the Black Student Success Plan was built to fix harm caused by policies that drained resources from Black communities. She pointed to the past—school closures under Rahm Emanuel and reforms by Paul Vallas and Arne Duncan—as examples of how Chicago failed Black students.
Davis Gates added that “the Black Student Success Plan was developed to address the man-made educational achievement gap,” she said. “This gap was created by those intent on shutting the doors of opportunity for families like mine, particularly in specific ZIP codes.”
What the Plan Does
CPS introduced the plan during the 2023–24 school year. Its goal: improve the academic outcomes and daily school experience of Black students. It includes targeted support in several areas:
- Culturally relevant teaching that reflects Black history and identity
- Mental health and academic services tailored to student needs
- Partnerships with HBCUs to recruit and retain more Black teachers
- A push to cut suspensions and expulsions for Black students by 40%
- A system of public reporting and oversight to track progress
Critics argue the plan excludes other students. CPS officials and educators say the plan responds directly to data that show Black students face deeper and more persistent barriers.
One district presentation cited in the complaint showed that only 6% of Black students were reading at or above grade level. The same data showed 5% of Latino students were at grade level.
Still, district leaders say the point of the plan is not to compare students by race but to repair the systems that have long failed Black children.
What’s Next
The investigation could lead to consequences if CPS is found in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination in federally funded programs. At worst, the district could risk losing federal funds.
The Chicago Teachers Union says it isn’t backing down. Davis Gates said the union will join thousands of groups across the country on May Day in protest of what she calls an attack on equity in education.
“And on Thursday, we will respond to the challenge from the Trump administration’s Education Department with one of our own — a challenge driven and powered by everyday workers and community members in all 50 states in over 1,100 actions on May Day to resist Trump’s attempts to take this country backward to the time of the Gilded Age,” she said.
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