Chicago City Wire

The Trump administration is reportedly investigating Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for allegedly prioritizing resources based on race, according to Brian Kasal, president of Northside Republicans. Kasal said to Chicago City Wire that "every student deserves equal access to a quality education."

"The Trump administration is stepping in to hold Chicago Public Schools accountable for abandoning the principle of equal opportunity in education," said Kasal. "By launching a federal investigation, it is confronting CPS's disturbing decision to favor one group of students based on race, despite overwhelming data showing academic struggles across all racial backgrounds. No child in America should be denied a chance to succeed because of the color of their skin—yet that is exactly what CPS has chosen to do. Trump is making it clear: every student matters, and every student deserves a fair shot at a quality education."

According to an April 29 press release from the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into CPS following a complaint by the organization Defending Education. The complaint alleges that CPS's 2023–2024 Black Students Success Plan violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by allocating resources based on race, despite acknowledging academic struggles across all racial groups. Federal officials argue this approach unfairly favors Black students and could lead to unlawful use of federal funds.

In a February 21, 2025 press release, Defending Education published an Office for Civil Rights complaint against CPS. The organization said the complaint was filed for "discrimination on the basis of race in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance in violation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution…. PDE and its members oppose discrimination on the basis of race and political indoctrination in America’s schools."

Chalkbeat reported that Defending Education filed a federal complaint against CPS’s Black Student Success Plan, arguing it discriminates based on race. According to Chalkbeat, Defending Education cited the Equal Protection Clause, a 2023 Supreme Court ruling against race-based college admissions, and a federal warning against such initiatives in its complaint. A similar past complaint led Los Angeles schools to revise a Black student support program to include all students. Chalkbeat noted that Defending Education argued CPS would potentially neglect struggling students of other races in implementing the Success Plan.

Kasal, a resident of Chicago's 43rd Ward, was first appointed as President of Chicago's Northside Republican Club in 2021. According to the organization’s website, he is "focused on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing the Party’s membership, and communicating the Party’s positions on issues that matter to Chicago Northside voters."