Portland Public Schools Faces ‘Flagrant Racial Preferencing’ Claims Over Investigation Of Center For Black Student Excellence

DOE Secretary Linda McMahon claims the sentiment of equity is a disguise.

Portland, Oregon Public Schools’ Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) is under investigation from the Trump Administration’s Department of Education (DOE), claiming the center focuses solely on Black students when there are larger issues, before it even opens, Willamette Weeks reports.

The investigation stems from a complaint from Defending Education, a Virginia-based conservative group with the goal of pushing against DEI initiatives for allegedly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The December 2025 complaint claims CBSE discriminates against students based on race, violating both the law and the Constitution.

Latching on, DOE says other groups of students struggled with challenges bigger than those of CBSE while “tens of millions” were allocated “exclusively” to Black students for “academic interventions, wraparound support, facilities, and family programs.” Also known as the Grice Adair Center, PPS chief of communications Candice Grose defended the mission of the center. “The Grice Adair Center represents our ongoing commitment to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all students, not just Black students, to feel seen, valued, and heard,” Grose said following the initial statement.

“While it was born from a need to address long-standing inequities that have impacted Black learners, its purpose is part of our larger mission to ensure equity and excellence for every student in the district.”

However, on X, DOE Secretary Linda McMahon claims the sentiment of equity is a disguise. “Discrimination disguised as ‘equity’ is discrimination,” she wrote.

Discrimination disguised as ‘equity’ is discrimination.

ED is investigating Portland Public Schools for allegedly allocating tens of millions in academic interventions and support exclusively for black students, despite other student groups facing similar academic challenges.
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) February 17, 2026

According to Oregon Live, CSBE is scheduled to open in two or three years in the North Portland neighborhood, once known as a thriving Black community. After District voters approved the center, set to offer after-school tutoring, summer camps, and other programs designed to enrich the youth, as part of a $1.2 billion 2020 school construction bond, officials are making plans to invite more Black-led nonprofits to offer services.

And it’s not just curriculum uplifting Black students that the group is targeting. The Portland school board’s decision not to allocate $40 million for a Native Student Success Center has been labeled as an example of discrimination by the Department of Education.

After data from the 2021–22 academic year indicated Black, Native American, Latinx, and Pacific Islander students once struggled with third-grade level reading and lower graduation rates, Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and Defending Education legal fellow, released a statement saying the organization feels “incredibly gratified” with the support from the Trump Administration.