Overview

• The U.S. Education Department’s civil-rights office said Chicago Public Schools violated anti-discrimination laws and will not certify the district’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant.
• Federal officials gave CPS three days to abolish its Black Student Success Plan and to adopt biology-based rules for sports participation and facility use.
• CPS responded that the demands are unreasonable, refused to roll back policies, and requested 30 days to formally reply, citing state law and guidance it says the district must follow.
• The grant at issue is a five-year, $15 million MSAP award, and related Title VI and Title IX investigations into CPS’s equity and transgender policies remain open without final findings.
• District officials are proceeding with steps required under state law, including naming a Black Student Achievement Committee, as federal leaders also signal scrutiny of magnet grants in New York City and Fairfax County.