The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit against the Rhode Island Department of Education and the Providence Public School District, alleging a student loan forgiveness program that excluded White teachers violated federal civil‑rights law.
The complaint, filed by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, says the program provided up to $25,000 in student loan forgiveness to new teachers who completed three consecutive years in the district but limited eligibility to those who "identify as Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latino, biracial, or multi‑racial." Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a DOJ press release that "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. We will not tolerate such plainly prohibited discrimination in employment."
The lawsuit follows a 2022 civil‑rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education by the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a Rhode Island‑based nonprofit investigative group, which alleged the Providence program amounted to ongoing discriminatory employment practices. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a final determination in July finding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, required the district to address the violation and directed the Providence district to contact the EEOC to participate in conciliation.
In a joint statement provided to news outlets, a senior official for the Providence Public School District said PPSD and RIDE had "worked in good faith with the U.S. Department of Justice to reach a resolution on this matter." The statement also said PPSD and RIDE officials had not been served with the lawsuit and were not informed that the DOJ would proceed with litigation, and that because litigation is active they would not comment further.
William Jacobson, a Cornell law professor and founder of the Equal Protection Project, which is affiliated with the Legal Insurrection Foundation, praised the DOJ filing and described the program as discriminatory. Jacobson said the Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program "openly discriminated against White teachers" and noted the program was created in cooperation with the Rhode Island Foundation. He said his organization hopes responsible parties will be held legally accountable and that the Rhode Island Foundation's role may face further legal scrutiny.
Federal civil‑rights enforcement historically treats employment‑related race‑based classifications as unlawful unless narrowly tailored and supported by a compelling government interest, a standard most private employers and many public employers cannot meet. The DOJ complaint seeks to address the department’s determination that the program unlawfully conditioned an employment benefit on race.
The complaint did not seek to eliminate student loan assistance programs broadly, but asserted that offering the benefit solely to educators of certain racial identities violated federal law. The case adds to a series of legal challenges in recent years over race‑conscious programs in education and employment, in which federal agencies, courts and advocacy groups have disagreed over permissible approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The Justice Department did not provide specifics in its press release about the relief it will request in court beyond enforcement of federal civil‑rights statutes. The Providence district and the Rhode Island Department of Education declined further comment citing ongoing litigation. Legal Insurrection Foundation representatives who filed the original complaint did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
The lawsuit underscores heightened federal scrutiny of race‑based eligibility criteria for public‑sector benefits and employment incentives. The case will proceed in federal court, where the parties will have an opportunity to present evidence and legal arguments on whether the program violated Title VII and other applicable statutes.
