The Providence Public School District is under investigation by the Department of Justice over allegations that a student loan repayment program offered to teachers in the district may be discriminatory.
NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports that the district and Rhode Island Department of Education was notified last Friday about the investigation. The DOJ is looking into whether the program discriminates against teachers who identify as white.
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PPSD said the case will investigate if the district “engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964.”
"It is important to understand that this is an investigation, and no conclusions have been reached at this time. PPSD is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin or other protected status," a PPSD spokesperson told the news station.
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The Rhode Island Foundation raised $3.1 million in 2021 to provide loan forgiveness to more than 100 teachers of color as an incentive to work for the district.
"At that time, students of color represented approximately 80% of enrollment in the District while just ~20% of educators identified as educators 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," the Providence Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez wrote in a letter to the school board.
School officials said their legal counsel is working with the DOJ on this investigation.
