Feds reopen probe into LAUSD race-based program

By Esther Wickham
The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has reopened an investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Black Student Achievement Plan following a request from Defending Education, which alleges the program allocates funds and resources based on race in violation of Title VI.

The complaint targeted LAUSD’s Black Student Achievement Plan, launched in 2021 to improve academic outcomes and well-being for Black students through culturally responsive teaching and expanded family and community engagement, The Center Square previously reported.

In a letter Thursday to Defending Education, the Department of Education said it would open an investigation into the issue. “OCR evaluated this complaint … and has decided to open the complaint for investigation.”

The Office for Civil Rights said it will examine whether the district’s Black Student Achievement Plan violates Title VI and its implementing regulations by providing services and programs to students based on race and excluding students of other races.

The department noted that opening an investigation does not mean OCR has reached a final determination on the merits of the complaint.

In 2024, the Office for Civil Rights dismissed a similar complaint, finding “no evidence of a current violation.”