The DOJ alleges that a student loan forgiveness program aimed at educators of color amounts to “blatant race discrimination.”
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Rhode Island education officials, alleging a student loan forgiveness program aimed at recruiting educators of color unlawfully discriminates against white teachers.
Filed Tuesday, the complaint accuses the Rhode Island Department of Education and the state-run Providence Public School District of “blatant race discrimination.” The lawsuit specifically takes aim at the “Educators of Color Loan Forgiveness Program,” which offers up to $25,000 in student debt repayments for new teachers in Providence.
“The catch: white teachers are not eligible,” the complaint notes.
With a student body that is more than 90% non-white, Providence has long sought to recruit more teachers of color. To that end, the 2021 student loan forgiveness program was designed for educators who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, or multiracial.
“While assisting new teachers in paying off their student loans may be a worthy cause, such a benefit of employment simply cannot be granted or withheld on the basis of the teachers’ race,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon argued in a statement.
“We will not tolerate such plainly prohibited discrimination in employment,” she added.
The federal government is asking a judge to declare the loan forgiveness program discriminatory and to bar Rhode Island officials from implementing the program on the basis of race. The complaint also seeks “equitable relief” for new Providence teachers who are not currently eligible for the program due to their race.
According to the DOJ, the lawsuit stems from an investigation launched by the Employment Litigation Section of the agency’s Civil Rights Division. The DOJ previously confirmed that it was investigating Providence schools over the loan forgiveness program, which was funded through the nonprofit Rhode Island Foundation but administered by the district.
In a joint statement, Providence schools and the Rhode Island Department of Education said they had been working with federal officials for months in hopes of settling the issue.
“Over the last few months, PPSD and RIDE worked in good faith with the U.S. Department of Justice to reach a resolution on this matter,” they said. “PPSD and RIDE officials have not been served, and we were not informed by federal representatives that they would proceed with a lawsuit.”
The complaint marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives it deems “radical” and unlawful.
In the case of the Providence student loan forgiveness program, “This is race discrimination in public employment, pure and simple,” the lawsuit states.