DOJ Probes Rhode Island Schools Over Race-Based Loan Forgiveness Program for Educators

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated an inquiry into a Rhode Island school The district aims to ascertain if its teacher loan forgiveness program has a discriminatory effect on white applicants.

On March 21, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sent a letter to both the Providence Public School District (PPSD) and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). In this correspondence, they initiated an inquiry to determine if these entities' hiring procedures—including their student loan repayment initiative—have disproportionately discriminated against Caucasian educators based on race.

"The letter emphasizes that no final determinations have been made regarding the topic under examination. We aim to review all pertinent data, and we encourage your support in pinpointing potential sources of such information," as initially reported by The Boston Globe .

PPSD's " Educator from Underrepresented Racial Groups Loan Forgiveness Program offers loan forgiveness for teachers of color via a grant from a nonprofit organization, the Rhode Island Foundation.

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Beneficiaries can get up to $25,000 in college loans waived after the educator finishes three continuous years of teaching within the same district. To qualify, applicants must “self-identify as Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latino, biracial, or multiracial” and should have a minimum of $5,000 in outstanding student debt.

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Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF) In 2022, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit organization focused on investigation and research, which aims to combat educational discrimination, submitted a complaint to the Department of Education. The complaint alleged that the district was perpetuating an ongoing "discriminatory practice" by restricting access to the program exclusively to non-white candidates.

Although they failed to get the Biden administration involved with their case, they were overjoyed when they found out that the Trump administration’s Justice Department would be conducting an investigation instead.

"Nearly two and a half years have passed since we submitted it," said Professor at Cornell Law School and President of LIF. William A. Jacobson told Fox News Digital.

"We pursued it further, and it was handed over to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We continued following up with them multiple times. Unfortunately, the Biden administration didn’t take any steps to address this issue. Eventually, though, the newly established Trump administration through their Department of Justice Civil Rights Division took action. This makes us quite happy," he mentioned additionally.

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Jacobson stated that they were "highly grateful" for the DOJ's intervention because the case didn't have "anywhere else to go."

The Rhode Island Attorney General had the option to file a lawsuit here. Several Rhode Island statutes are being breached. However, no action was taken. Sadly, the state’s political framework shields influential political and economic figures from adhering to the same regulations as the rest of the population,” he stated.

“If this were simply occurring at a private firm, perhaps regulatory bodies would have intervened. Maybe someone might even consider filing a lawsuit. However, since it involves the biggest school district in the state, managed by the State Department of Education and financed by the largest charitable organization in the area, I believe they feel exempt from following the same regulations as others,” he went on to say.

Jacobson referred to the program as an "outrageous" instance of racial discrimination that would have sparked nationwide controversy if it had prioritized white applicants instead.

"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 stated that his team initiated its Equal Protection Project, This initiative zeroes in on tackling racism and other issues related to unequal protection, due to the "flagrant" nature of the PPSD program.

The LIF is urging the Justice Department to look into the nonprofit organization funding the PPSD loan forgiveness initiative, known as the Rhode Island Foundation. alleging the nonprofit has served as a significant financier of discrimination within Rhode Island’s educational system.

The Rhode Island Foundation did not reply to requests for comments.

PPSD confirmed to Fox News Digital The DOJ informed the district and the Rhode Island Department of Education on Friday that they have initiated an inquiry into their student loan forgiveness initiative.

"A representative from PPSD informed Fox News Digital that this is currently under investigation, with no final determinations made yet,” said the spokesperson. “As an equal employment provider, PPSD abides by laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, nationality, or similar protected categories. We continue to uphold our commitment towards hiring and keeping educators who mirror the varied demographics of the area we support.”

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PPSD also provided Fox News Digital with a letter from Providence Schools' Superintendent Javier Montañez to the school board on Sunday, emphasizing that PPSD is an "equal opportunity employer" that does not engage in discrimination based on race.

Montañez stated that the legal advisors from both PPSD and the Rhode Island Department of Education would work together with the DOJ throughout the investigation process.

The superintendent stated that the loan forgiveness initiative was established in 2021 with the aim of attracting a wider range of educators to the district. This move came during a period where around 80% of the students were from minority backgrounds, yet fewer than 20% of the teaching staff consisted of educators of color.

"Expanding the variety within our teaching staff aligns with the fundamental principles of the District and directly enhances student achievements, as numerous studies on education have shown," he penned.

He mentioned that this loan forgiveness initiative was designed with the utmost concern for students' welfare, ensuring they are educated by people with whom they can connect personally and professionally, alongside being highly competent and proficient in their field.

The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment.

Brian Flood from Fox News also contributed to this report.

Original article source: The Department of Justice is probing Rhode Island schools regarding their loan forgiveness initiative exclusive to "teachers of color."