In launching that investigation, a U.S. Department of Education official is accusing this suburban district of segregating students based on race and other unconstitutional actions that the district in the past has denied doing.
The development comes just days after the education department started a similar investigation into Chicago Public Schools.
The investigation into Evanston-Skokie School District 65 is based on a complaint filed by one of its teachers, Stacy Deemar.
In a federal civil rights lawsuit, Deemar argued "race-based programming" in the district, including "antiracist training" of teachers and student lessons discussing "whiteness" in negative terms, is "unconstitutional, illegal, [and] discriminatory."
During President Donald Trump's first administration, the U.S. Department of Education found the district, based on Deemar's complaint, violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating based on race.
That finding was later suspended by President Joe Biden's administration.
Now, after Deemar filed a second complaint with the help of the conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education is once again investigating the district.
The probe comes days after a similar move targeting Chicago Public Schools for its "Black Student Success Plan," which the Trump administration argues discriminates against other races. It is a claim CPS denies.
READ MORE | US Dept. of Education investigating allegations of racial discrimination at Chicago Public Schools; CPS Black Student Success Plan committee head defends plan to close equity gap
ABC7 left messages Thursday night for Deemar and the Southeastern Legal Foundation but did not hear back.
A spokesperson for Evanston-Skokie School District 65 shared the following statement Friday afternoon:
"On April 24, 2025 the Southeastern Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on behalf of District 65 teacher, Stacy Deemar. The District just received official notice of the complaint yesterday, May 1, 2025, which alleges that District 65 policies and practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"We are a diverse school district committed to equity and to ensuring that every child gets what they need and deserve to reach their full potential. It remains our responsibility to meet every child where they are and to ensure continued growth.
"The District will continue to fulfill the intent and promise of equal protection and nondiscrimination embodied in the Constitution and our nation's civil rights laws. The complaint misrepresents our District's lawful and important professional learning and student-focused initiatives that are designed to advance the work of ensuring that ALL students have access and opportunity to a robust, high quality education.
"The District will fully comply with the OCR investigation to help ensure a just and expeditious resolution."