Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has revised its $120 million Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) following a civil rights complaint from a Virginia-based conservative group, Parents Defending Education (PDE). The complaint argued that the program violated federal law by using race as a criterion for participation.
Initially designed to address academic disparities for Black students, BSAP aimed to improve outcomes in reading and math by providing additional tutors and teacher training. However, PDE’s complaint alleged that the program’s race-based criteria for admission were discriminatory. “At the bottom, the Black Student Achievement Plan and its benefits are open to some students but not others — and that exclusion is solely based on an individual’s race,” PDE stated.
PDE’s board includes Edward Blum, known for spearheading the 2023 Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions. PDE argued in its complaint to the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that BSAP violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. OCR dismissed the complaint after LAUSD removed race as a factor, but PDE could potentially revisit the issue.
