New Civil Rights Complaint Alleges Pittsburgh School Closures Plan Discriminates Against Black Students
July 14, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA — On Tuesday, July 14, on behalf of five Black Pittsburgh Public School District (PPS) students, the Education Rights Network, 412 Justice and Advancement Project filed a civil rights complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The complaint alleges that the May 27, 2026, vote to approve school closures by the PPS Board of Directors discriminates against Black students.
The complaint details that the school closure plan is the latest in PPS’s decades-long failure to provide quality and equal educational opportunity to students living in Pittsburgh’s Black neighborhoods. Based on the flawed metric of utilization, the school closure plan will displace upwards of 6,000 students—with a disproportionate number of Black students being forced to bear the academic and educational harms of school closures. At the same time, neither PPS nor the Board have outlined how educational services provided at the schools slated for closure will be provided at students’ reassigned schools.
“The Board and the Pittsburgh Public School District were repeatedly put on notice that basing school closures on utilization is flawed, serves no educational purpose, and would disproportionately harm Black students. Despite this notice and clear advocacy from the community, the Board voted to plow ahead with its discriminatory plan and endanger the education of thousands of children in Pittsburgh. It is now up to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to carry out its mission and protect the civil rights and educational futures of Pittsburgh’s Black community,” said Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, Director of Advancement Project’s Opportunity to Learn Program.
“My children love Miller. It is Pittsburgh’s ONLY African-centered academy, providing a school culture that is especially enriching to our family and community. At Miller, my children are taught principles of pride and self-determination. They learn about the history and specific resilience of the Hill District they call home. They are excited about school and their classes. They feel safe and nurtured. There are no plans for another African-centered academy anywhere in the district. Taking away neighborhood schools is violent to the students and thwarts community growth. The Hill needs all the growth it can muster. Making parents who are resourced strapped have to travel further to visit their children’s school or taking away their ability to walk them to/from school before/after work is another hardship. Communities most in need are losing public education options and I don’t understand that as a plan. The district celebrated this, but to me, it’s failure. They failed us,” said Naomi Chambers, Education Rights Network & Parent of Complainant.
“The District and the Board have been steadily closing schools in Black neighborhoods for decades. Every time, they tell us they must do it because it will increase equity or efficiency, but Pittsburgh’s Black communities haven’t seen those benefits and we aren’t fooled. We hope this complaint forces PPS and the Board to listen,” said Angel Gober, 412 Justice.
“As a mother, it is my responsibility to protect my children from any and everything that will harm them, including this decision. At the end of the day, they are paying the price. Removing them from a school environment they do well in, eliminating the STEAM program they benefit from, and moving them into a school that counts them among 800 students. This plan is supposed to create opportunities for my kids, but from where I’m sitting, it’s taking them away,” said Jazlynn Worthy, Education Rights Network & Parent of Complainant.
“All five of my kids went to Manchester, but now because the Board voted to permanently close Manchester, my youngest will be the only one who won’t be able to graduate from there. It’s four blocks from my house and I can watch my kids walk to school. If the District closes Manchester, I’m moving my son to the charter school in our neighborhood because I don’t feel comfortable with him walking over a mile to get to the school he will be reassigned to,” said Jala Rucker, Education Rights Network & Parent of Complainant.
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Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.
412 Justice is a multiracial, intergenerational, and multi-issue organization that focuses our efforts around economic, environmental, and education justice. We build deep trust and collaboration with impacted people by creating an inclusive, safe space to learn, ask questions, and use our voice to promote strong, healthy communities and corporate accountability through the redistribution of wealth, power, and resources.
Education Rights Network is a campaign of 412 Justice comprised of a dedicated group of parents and caregivers who are working to ensure equity and inclusion for all students in Pittsburgh Public Schools. In addition to reviewing and analyzing suspension data and raising awareness of the issue, ERN works to educate and support parent leaders via “Know Your Rights” workshops and provides direct help in navigating the District’s Code of Conduct and discipline procedures. ERN has successfully mobilized and supported parent leaders to rally for necessary changes to the District’s discipline policies and practices, and has achieved wins including the ratification of some recommended changes to the district’s Code of Conduct.
