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3d ago

AFT and Illinois Groups Sue Education Department Over Abrupt Community Schools Grant Cuts

Plaintiffs seek a Washington injunction after alleging the department unlawfully halted multi-year awards before funds lapse.

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Students at Burroughs Elementary School in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago practice yoga at an after-school program on Oct. 3, 2024. The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Chicago, an after-school program that serves eight schools on the Southwest Side, is among an estimated 120 sites in Chicago that have remained open in the midst of closures throughout the state. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Two federal lawsuits filed Dec. 29–30 by the American Federation of Teachers, the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, and ACT Now Illinois challenge the mid-year termination of 19 Full-Service Community Schools grants.
  • Plaintiffs request an emergency injunction to restore funding, with a judge in Washington, D.C., set to hear the request Wednesday.
  • Discontinuation notices cited either alleged civil-rights violations or conflicts with the current administration’s policy agenda as reasons for ending the awards.
  • The canceled grants were part of roughly $380 million expected through 2028, including nearly $61 million scheduled for Jan. 1, with some unused 2025 funds at risk of expiring Dec. 31.
  • Illinois programs report immediate disruptions, including cancellations and layoffs, with ACT Now’s grant supporting 32 schools and serving about 19,000 students, including hundreds at Chicago’s Curie High School.