Press Releases

Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) subpoenaed Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), to testify at a Committee hearing. The Committee has communicated multiple requests for Dr. King to give testimony at its upcoming hearing examining parental rights in K-12 education as well as the use of federal funds by school districts under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). In each instance, Dr. King has refused the Committee’s requests and provided vague and evasive reasoning.
 
In the cover letter accompanying the subpoena, Walberg writes: “[O]n April 16, 2026, the Committee invited you to testify at a hearing titled, ‘Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools’… On April 20, you responded to the Committee’s invitation by stating that you ‘will not be able to participate in the hearing due to prior scheduling commitments’ and that, because the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) had ‘opened investigations into CPS policies pertaining to Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964] and Title IX [of the Education Amendments of 1972],’ you would be ‘limited with respect to the information… [you are] able to share.’”

In the letter, Walberg addresses the supposed scheduling conflict: “First, the existence of vague and undefined ‘scheduling conflicts’ is not a valid legal basis to avoid attending a Congressional hearing. To be clear, the Committee has made reasonable efforts to accommodate your schedule. Despite providing no details about your specific ‘logistical demands’ or ‘scheduling commitments,’ the Committee offered six different dates for when the hearing could be held. Unfortunately, you have failed to acknowledge these alternative dates, which suggests that any scheduling conflict is not the actual reason you are declining to appear voluntarily.”
 
Walberg then addresses the OCR investigations: “Second, the fact that CPS is under federal investigation, including the OCR investigations, is not a valid legal reason to halt a Congressional inquiry... In any case, even if the OCR investigations were a reason for you not to answer specific questions at the hearing, they do not provide a basis to decline to appear at all—especially considering that there are several topics other than Title VI or Title IX about which Members may inquire at the hearing.”
 
Walberg concludes: “As such, because your stated reasons for declining the Committee’s invitation are not legally valid justifications, the Committee has determined a subpoena is necessary to compel your attendance at the hearing, which is now scheduled for June 10, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).”

Chairman Walberg made the following statement: “As the first subpoena issued under my tenure as Chair, I do not take this action lightly. However, the constant refusal to provide testimony blocks the Committee from doing its job of conducting oversight and further deepens mistrust in our education system. Chicago serves one of the largest student populations in the country, and students, parents, and teachers deserve answers—not silence.”
 
Read the cover letter and the subpoena here.

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