April 30, 2025 – National Parents Union President Keri Rodrigues, Educators for Excellence-Chicago Executive Director Dr. Marlena Little, and Kids First Chicago CEO Daniel Anello released the following statement condemning the Trump administration’s Title VI investigation into Chicago Public Schools over its Black Students Success Plan:
“This investigation is nothing more than a bad-faith attack on equity, cloaked in the language of civil rights. The Black Student Success Plan isn’t discriminatory, it’s a long-overdue response to the deep, systemic inequities Black students in Chicago have faced for generations. Calling it a violation of Title VI is not just false, it’s a complete perversion of what that law was created to protect.
“Once again, the Trump administration is weaponizing the Department of Education, not to uplift historically underserved students, but to target them. They are twisting civil rights protections to attack any effort that dares to center racial justice. This isn’t about fairness; it’s about fearmongering.
“Chicago’s Black families have waited long enough for justice in education. They don’t need political theater; they need action, investment, and respect. And we will not be silent while this administration tries to roll back progress under the guise of ‘equality.’ We stand with the children, families, and educators of Chicago Public Schools and every other district in this country working to close opportunity gaps and deliver on the promise of public education for all.”
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With more than 1,800 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the united, independent voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/