Education
CPS CEO Macquline King Defends District in Testimony Before GOP-Led Congressional Committee
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King testifies before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on June 10, 2026. (WTTW News)
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King defended the school district in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday amid congressional criticism of CPS support for trans students and “ideological agendas.”
King testified Wednesday at a hearing titled “Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools.” She was joined by school leaders from Loudoun County Public Schools and San Francisco Unified School District, as well as an official from the National Center for Youth Law.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), who chairs the House Committee on Education and Workforce, subpoenaed King last month after she refused previous requests to testify on three federal bills — the PROTECT Kids Act, the “Say No to Indoctrination” Act and the “Stop the Sexualization of Children” Act.
Walberg opened Wednesday’s three-hour hearing saying school districts across the country “seem to be losing sight of their core mission” of educating students.
“When classrooms become vehicles for political or ideological agendas, rather than places of learning what students need to compete in the world, Congress has a responsibility to ask questions,” he said.
Walberg blasted CPS for teaching a “radical, unscientific” vision of gender to its students, and while he was born in Chicago and attended school in Cook County, he said “thankfully” he did not attend the “Chicago Public School system of today.”
King defended the school district in her opening statements, saying CPS works to ensure every student “feels seen, valued and supported.”
“Our classrooms are not homogenous,” she said. “They are vibrant communities where students learn alongside peers whose lived experiences may differ from their own. In CPS we say every student, every school, every community. Fulfilling that commitment requires us to recognize the diversity of experiences, needs and strengths that exist across our district.”
The U.S. Department of Education under President Donald Trump launched investigations into CPS last year, targeting its Black Student Success Plan and district policies that ensure safe and welcoming school environments for transgender students.
Complaints filed by the Defense of Freedom Institute and Liberty Justice Center prompted the federal investigation into CPS last year, claiming the school district has “ignored its obligations imposed by Title IX,” pointing to a Nov. 14, 2024, resolution approved by the Chicago Board of Education that reiterated the district’s nondiscrimination policy, which includes “access to intimate facilities on the basis of ‘gender identity.’”
Questions about trans students at Wednesday’s hearing centered on whether boys and girls are allowed into the same locker rooms and whether CPS teachers have ever lied to parents about what name their child uses in school.
King largely answered those questions by saying CPS policies are in line with Illinois state law.
U.S. Rep Jahana Hayes (D-Connecticut) did inquire about the Black Student Success Plan, and what negative impacts would come from its removal.
“It is a resourced and targeted plan to support students that have been historically and systematically void of opportunity,” King said.
“And the community is benefitting from the results?” Hayes asked.
“Yes,” King answered.
Committee members also questioned King about school choice as well as her district’s stance on religious freedom and abortion, and she again stated that CPS policy remains in line with state law.
King was also asked by Republican congressmen about the district’s May Day agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union that allowed students and staff to attend a rally and march on the labor holiday.
When asked by U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Indiana) whether she would allow students to attend rallies regardless of who was being protested, King maintained that the May Day rally was not a “politically slanted event.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) took issue with that response and presented a photo of a young person he claimed was a CPS student at the rally who was carrying a sign equating Trump with Adolph Hitler.
King said she wasn’t aware of that sign, but that CPS could investigate.
A coalition of Illinois congressional representatives sent a letter to Walberg saying Wednesday’s hearing was called only to push legislation that “censors our classrooms, puts children in danger, and prioritizes the whims of politicians in Washington over the expertise of local school leaders.”
“Attacks on Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are just another tactic in your broader attack on democratic-led strongholds and your anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda,” Illinois U.S. Reps. Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Jesús “Chuy” García, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky wrote in the letter.
Ramirez led a news conference with CPS parents and teachers Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., ahead of the hearing to call out the committee’s Republican leadership for their attacks on Black and trans students.
Taneesha Henderson, a CPS special education teacher, said the Black Student Success Plan isn’t about “exclusion, it’s about solutions” as it seeks to increase student belonging, help recruit and retain Black educators and strengthen family engagement and student support systems.
“When students feel safe, supported and connected, everybody benefits,” she said. “When educators have the resources to meet students’ needs, everybody benefits. So let’s stop pretending this is about helping one group at the expense of another.”
WTTW News education reporting is supported, in part, by Press Forward Chicago.
