Trump DOJ launching investigation into Rhode Island schools over discrimination

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into a Rhode Island school district to determine whether its student loan forgiveness program for teachers discriminates against White applicants.

In a March 21 letter sent to Providence Public School District (PPSD) and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Office announced an investigation into whether the district and education office’s employment practices — specifically a student loan forgiveness program — have engaged in racial discrimination against White teachers.

“It is important to note that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation. We intend to consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be,” the letter states, as first reported by The Boston Globe.

PPSD’s “Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program” offers student loan forgiveness for educators of color through a grant from a nonprofit, the Rhode Island Foundation. 

PARENTAL RIGHTS GROUP FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST OREGON SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ALLEGED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Recipients can receive up to $25,000 of college loans forgiven once the teacher completes three consecutive years of teaching in the district. The eligibility requirements indicate recipients must “identify as Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latino, biracial, or multi-racial” and must have at least $5,000 in student loans to repay.

Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF), a Rhode Island-based, nonprofit investigative and research group that fights discrimination in education, filed a complaint with the Department of Education in 2022, claiming that the district was engaged in an ongoing “practice of discrimination” by making this program only available to non-White applicants.

The group was unsuccessful in getting the Biden administration to take up the case, but was “thrilled” upon learning the Trump administration’s Justice Department would be investigating.

“It’s been almost two and almost two and a half years since we filed it,” Cornell Law School professor and LIF President William A. Jacobson told Fox News Digital. 

“We followed up. It got transferred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We followed up with them repeatedly. We couldn’t get the Biden administration to do anything to stop this. And finally, the new Trump administration under the Department of Justice Civil Rights Office has brought an action. So we’re very pleased with that,” he added.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION

Jacobson said they were “extremely thankful” that the DOJ was taking action because the case had “no other place to go.”

“The Rhode Island attorney general could have brought suit here. There are Rhode Island laws that are being violated. But nothing was done. The political infrastructure in the state of Rhode Island unfortunately insulates powerful political and economic players from the rules that everyone else has to abide by,” he said.

“If this was just a private company doing this, probably the regulators would have gotten involved. Probably somebody would have been willing to sue. But because it’s the largest school district in the state, being run by the state Department of Education, funded by the largest charity in the state, I think they felt immunity from the rules everyone else has to abide by,” he continued.

Jacobson called the program an “outrageous” example of racial discrimination that would have caused a national uproar if it had favored White applicants.

“Can you imagine if a school district had a program only open to White teachers? It would be a national uproar,” he said. “But there seems to be an attitude that as long as the discrimination is against Whites, it’s lawful. But it’s not. The civil rights laws protect everybody equally. And that’s what we’re seeking here. “

Jacobson said his group launched its Equal Protection Project, which focuses on combating racism and other equal protection violations, because of how “egregious” the PPSD program was. 

The LIF is also calling on the Justice Department to investigate the nonprofit charity which funds the PPSD loan forgiveness program, the Rhode Island Foundation, alleging the nonprofit has been a “major funder of discrimination” in Rhode Island schools.

The Rhode Island Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

PPSD confirmed to Fox News Digital that the DOJ notified the district and the Rhode Island Department of Education on Friday that an investigation into their student loan forgiveness program had been launched.

“It is important to understand that this is an investigation, and no conclusions have been reached at this time,” a spokesperson for PPSD told Fox News Digital. “PPSD is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin or other protected status. We remain committed in our efforts to recruit and retain a teaching population that reflects the diverse community we serve.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

PPSD also shared with Fox News Digital a letter that Providence Schools’ Superintendent Javier Montañez sent to the school board on Sunday, reiterating that PPSD was “an equal opportunity employer” that does not “discriminate on the basis of race.”

Montañez said the legal counsel for PPSD and the Rhode Island Department of Education would collaborate with the DOJ on the investigation.

The superintendent said the loan forgiveness program had been created in 2021 to help the district attract more diverse educators, at a time when non-White students represented approximately 80% of the student population, but less than 20% of educators in the district identified as teachers of color.

“Increasing the diversity of our teaching force is not only aligned with the core values of the District, but also has a direct, positive impact on student outcomes as demonstrated by years of educational research,” he wrote.

“This loan forgiveness program was created with the best interest of students in mind to ensure that our students are taught by individuals to whom they can both identify and relate as well as those who are talented and skilled in their academic craft,” he added.

The U.S. Department of Justice did not return a request for comment.

Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this article.