The Chicago Board of Eduction is suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Elizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosSpecial counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report NEA president says Azar and DeVos should resign over school reopening guidance The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - You might want to download TikTok now MORE and the Department of Education for allegedly withholding $4 million in grants over the district’s poor handling of student sexual assault.

The school board's lawsuit, filed in federal court on Friday, alleges the Trump administration made a “radical departure” from previous administrations, according to the Chicago Tribune.

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The lawsuit says federal authorities stopped a $4 million payment to the school district that was intended to help transform three public schools into so-called magnet programs. The district alleges such a decision is against the law.

Education Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill told the newspaper that the department doesn't comment on pending litigation.

“Chicago Public Schools is filing suit in an effort to restore millions of dollars in funding that was abruptly and unlawfully taken from low-income students without providing the district with the opportunity to appeal the decision,” Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Emily Bolton told the Tribune.

The Tribune reports that the Education Department made the decision to withhold the grant money in September following an investigation by the paper that showed the school district had mishandled allegations of sexual abuse.

“The district has made, and will continue to make, significant improvements to how it prevents and responds to allegations of abuse and, even more importantly, how it supports victims,” Bolton said.

The lawsuit is asking for the decision to revoke the funding be reversed.