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The Department of Education has launched an investigation into a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) program designed to improve educational outcomes for Black students, per Newsweek.
The investigation comes after CPS unveiled the program, called the "Black Student Success Plan," in February. The program is designed to increase the number of Black teachers, reduce disciplinary action against Black students, and "enhance a strong sense of belonging" among them.
In February, CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said the district was "committed" to removing obstacles for Black students.
Conservative advocacy group Defending Education, which aims to "restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas," filed a complaint to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, alleging that the program was discriminatory against other races because all CPS students struggle academically.
The complaint prompted the investigation by the DOE. In a statement, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, suggested the Black Student Success Plan was "pernicious and unlawful."
"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. 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 Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement: "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. 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."
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