Education

Trump administration threatens funding over Chicago’s Black Student Success Plan

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 12:32AM UTC

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from Chicago Public Schools due to its Black Student Success Plan, a programme designed to address educational disparities for Black students, amid broader conflicts over race-conscious education policies.

The Trump administration has issued a threat to withhold federal funding from Chicago Public Schools in response to a programme aimed at improving academic outcomes for Black students, marking a continuation of the administration's efforts to challenge liberal educational policies.

The dispute centres on an investigation led by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which is examining the Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success Plan. This investigation was initiated following a complaint from Parents Defending Education, a conservative advocacy group based in Virginia. The group alleges that the Black Student Success Plan constitutes racial discrimination, arguing that Chicago Public Schools are "failing students of all races and ethnicities, which makes this racially segregated programme all the more egregious."

The Black Student Success Plan is described by the school district as part of a broader commitment to addressing educational disparities. According to a news release from the district, the programme aims to "eliminate educational opportunity gaps" and provide Black students with "the support needed to achieve academic success and personal growth." Key elements of the plan include the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices, equitable allocation of resources, efforts to recruit and retain Black educators and leaders, as well as fostering meaningful engagement with Black students and their families.

The district did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on the threatened withdrawal of federal funds.

The New York Times reports that under the Trump administration, there has been a reduction in the number of civil rights investigators within the Education Department. Despite this, there has been an increase in investigations focusing on educational programmes perceived as favouring students based on race or providing special considerations to transgender students. This shift aligns with the administration’s broader stance against policies that it deems to give preferential treatment based on identity factors.

The controversy over Chicago's Black Student Success Plan highlights ongoing tensions surrounding race-conscious educational initiatives in the United States and the federal government's role in regulating funding tied to such programmes.

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-limits-trumps-ability-withhold-school-funds-over-dei-2025-04-24/ - Federal judges in Maryland, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C. blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal funding to schools supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, citing constitutional vagueness and First Amendment infringements.
https://apnews.com/article/7d7ad707d91565753263a19ebde044e0 - A federal judge in New Hampshire blocked the Trump administration’s directive threatening to cut federal funding for public schools maintaining DEI programs, following lawsuits from teachers unions and civil rights groups.
https://apnews.com/article/bc8c075e974f033629bb20a391d7232d - Nineteen U.S. states filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration’s directive to end DEI programs in public schools, arguing it jeopardizes over $13.8 billion in educational funding and infringes on academic freedom.
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/04/10/illinois-defies-federal-funding-threats-over-dei - Illinois resisted threats from the Trump administration’s Department of Education to withhold federal funding unless the state certifies compliance with directives aimed at ending DEI practices, emphasizing the importance of teaching Black history and culturally relevant curricula.
https://time.com/7261667/eliminating-department-of-education-resegregate-schools/ - The article argues that eliminating the U.S. Department of Education would disproportionately harm Black students and other marginalized communities, stripping protections and resources for children with disabilities, immigrant families, and LGBTQ students.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/teachers-union-sues-block-trumps-anti-dei-policy-us-schools-2025-02-26/ - The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association filed a lawsuit in Maryland's federal court against a Trump administration policy aiming to withhold federal funds from schools teaching about systemic racism and DEI topics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/trump-chicago-schools-black-students.html - Please view link - unable to able to access data

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 4

Notes: Narrative references the Trump administration, suggesting reliance on pre-2021 context. However, the 2025 date in the URL implies potential timeliness, though no confirmation of recent updates to the described programme or federal actions is provided.

Quotes check

Score: 8

Notes: Direct quotes from Parents Defending Education and Chicago Public Schools' news release are cited, but no primary sources or original statements are independently verified. The lack of direct attribution to named individuals reduces traceability.

Source reliability

Score: 9

Notes: The narrative originates from The New York Times, a reputable publication with editorial oversight. However, the absence of direct commentary from Chicago Public Schools introduces minor uncertainty.

Plausability check

Score: 7

Notes: The described federal scrutiny of race-conscious programmes aligns with known Trump-era policies, but the plausibility of current-era applicability remains unclear without verification of ongoing proceedings or updated federal stances post-2021.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: While the narrative's structural and thematic consistency with past Trump-era actions lends credibility, the conflation of a 2025 dateline with pre-2021 administrative references creates ambiguity. Source reliability is high, but unverified contextual elements and potential anachronisms necessitate further corroboration.

Trump administration
Chicago Public Schools
education policy