CPS responds to Trump’s Department of Education withholding magnet school money

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Chicago Public Schools told the U.S. Department of Education Friday it would not be walking back the rollout of its Black Student Success Plan or changing its policies related to transgender students until a federal investigation is completed.

A letter sent by CPS’ Acting General Counsel Elizabeth K. Barton called the department’s demands outlined in a letter the Trump administration sent Tuesday as “unreasonable and untenable” and requested 30 days to respond. Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary of civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education, said his office found CPS violated anti-discrimination laws and would lose grant dollars through the Magnet School Assistance Program.

But Barton wrote back that the district’s “policies and practices are prescribed by state and local law, and CPS remains in compliance with those laws.”

The feds demanded CPS abolish the Black Student Success Plan it unveiled in February and issue a statement saying it will require students to compete in sports or use locker rooms and bathroom facilities based on their biological sex at birth, among other demands.

But Illinois law conflicts on both fronts, Barton noted. The state issued guidance in March that outlines compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Law, including that schools must allow transgender students access to facilities that correspond to their gender identity. Separately, an Illinois law passed in 2024 requires the Chicago school board to have a Black Student Achievement Committee and plan for serving Black students.

In its response, CPS argues that the Trump administration “made a legal conclusion” without completing an investigation.

“Moreover, the Department has not articulated whether any specific students have been harmed by the Black Students Success Plan, as the Plan has not yet been implemented,” Barton wrote.

Chicago school board members told Chalkbeat they are forging ahead with plans to announce the members of the Black Student Achievement Committee next week.

Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.