LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Placed on Paid Leave After FBI Investigation Into AI Deal

Los Angeles school superintendent placed on paid leave during federal probe

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho was put on paid leave Friday, two days after the FBI served search warrants at his home and the district's headquarters. Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the nation's second-largest school district, which serves more than 500,000 students, nor have they accused Carvalho of any wrongdoing. The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted to place Carvalho on leave pending the outcome of the investigation after two days of deliberation behind closed doors. Carvalho became superintendent in 2022. He previously led the public schools in Miami. Andres Chait, the chief of school operations, will take over the helm while Carvalho is on leave, the district said. "Our focus remains clear: to ensure stability, continuity, and strong leadership for our students, families, and employees," Chait said in a statement. Carvalho has not responded to a request for comment. The FBI on Wednesday also searched a third location near Miami. The Miami Herald reported the Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who previously worked with AllHere, an education technology company that had a contract with Los Angeles schools before it collapsed and its leader was indicted for fraud. In 2024, Carvalho heavily touted a deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot named "Ed" designed to help students. But about three months after unveiling the technology and paying the company $3 million, the district dropped its dealings with AllHere, which collapsed into bankruptcy. Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with securities and wire fraud, along with identity theft. The school district said in a statement Wednesday that it "is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time." Carvalho denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere, according to the Los Angeles Times. After Smith-Griffin was indicted, Carvalho said he would appoint a task force to examine what went wrong with the LA school district's project, but there have been no public announcements about it since. Kerr, an education technology salesperson who connects companies with schools, said she was never paid her $630,000 commission for her work in closing the AllHere deal with the LA district, according to a news organization, The 74, that covered the company's bankruptcy hearings in 2024. The 74 reported that Kerr had longstanding ties with Carvalho from when he oversaw the Florida district and that her son who worked for AllHere pitched the technology to LA school leaders after he took over the helm there. The Associated Press was unable to reach Kerr for comment. Over the past five years in Los Angeles, Carvalho has been lauded for the district's improvements to academic performance. He won similar praise while overseeing Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida's largest school district, where the national superintendents association named him Superintendent of the Year in 2014. Spain knighted the Portugal-born administrator in 2021 for his work in expanding Spanish-language programs for Miami-Dade County schools. Months later, Carvalho took the job in California and became a harsh critic of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown, especially following raids in Los Angeles last year. Carvalho arrived in Los Angeles at a critical moment, as the district found itself flush with funding from state and federal COVID-19 relief money but still struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, including learning losses and declining enrollment. He previously sparred with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over his order that schools not require masks during the pandemic. The Miami-Dade school system said in a statement that it was aware of the investigation involving Carvalho but did not have any comment at this time. -- - Watson reported from San Diego.

LAUSD set to hold ominous 'superintendent's evaluation' after...

Under-fire LA schools' chief Alberto Carvalho will be hauled over the coals in an ominous "superintendent's evaluation" on Monday -- days after the FBI raided his home. The LAUSD board will hold a closed session in the morning, according to court documents seen by The California Post, following the execution of search warrants by agents last Wednesday. Rifle-toting FBI agents were seen taking boxes and other items from Carvalho's San Pedro home, while further investigations were carried out at the LAUSD's downtown Los Angeles headquarters, and the Miami home of Debra Kerr, who is tied to the alleged wrongdoing. The investigation is believed to involve LAUSD's dealings with AI company AllHere, where Kerr was a former consultant, which developed a chatbot for the district. In 2024, AllHere's founder Joanna Smith-Griffin, then-33, was charged with fraud, just months after she joined the AI chatbot's $6 million deal alongside Carvalho. Under Carvalho, Smith-Griffin's company received nearly $3 million from LAUSD for services that were never performed, according to court documents. She is alleged to have spent the $10 million she bilked from investors to pay for her wedding and North Carolina home, federal prosecutors allege. If found guilty, she faces up to 20 years in prison. Neither Carvalho nor Kerr have been charged with a crime, and no public details have been released by authorities regarding the probe. The LAUSD said it is cooperating with law enforcement, while court documents related to the searches remain sealed.

Furious parents demand LAUSD chief Alberto Carvalho resigns after FBI...

Furious parents have demanded the head of Los Angeles Unified School District immediately quit after federal agents raided his homes and offices. The FBI burst into Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's DTLA workspace, his San Pedro house as well as a location in Miami on Wednesday morning as part of a corruption probe linked to a failed AI chatbot. The school board held an emergency meeting about "public employment" and "general superintendent of schools" on Thursday, which was held behind closed doors but featured a public comment period. Enraged parents were quick to fill the space with demands for Carvalho to resign and others even called for the whole board to be disbanded, as his chair awkwardly sat empty. They argued the raid validated long-standing fears about transparency and decision-making inside the district, which controls tens of billions in public funding. Juan Megondi said: "If this investigation escalates, resign out of dignity -- every single one of you." Diana Guillerri said: "Now everyone got scared because the FBI came." She said she delivered thousands of signatures demanding action on school safety and accountability, arguing parents have repeatedly been kept in the dark about budgets and major decisions. She also rejected speculation about the reasons for the investigation, saying families want facts -- not rumors -- about what is happening at the highest levels of the district. Other speakers warned leadership turmoil could have direct consequences for students, particularly those who depend on specialized services. A mother of a child in special education urged the board to consider how instability at the top could disrupt individualized education plans, staffing continuity and legally mandated support systems. Several parents said they felt routinely ignored when raising concerns, accusing district leaders of listening only when a crisis erupts. The FBI searches sent shockwaves through the nation's second-largest school system and ignited a political firestorm among families already frustrated with district leadership. Agents arrived at Carvalho's home before dawn on Wednesday, some carrying rifles, and removed boxes of evidence, according to a neighbor who witnessed the operation. At district headquarters, employees appeared confused about whether to report to work as federal officers entered the building. Local advocacy group Parents Supporting Teachers called for the board of education to appoint an interim superintendent immediately "to ensure continuity of leadership and stability across the district." The group, which says it has 30,000 followers, said Carvalho failed to adhere to standards of transparency and accountability around the use of public money. A second advocacy group called Schools Beyond Screens agreed, calling for his immediate suspension, "pending results from the FBI's current investigation." Schools Beyond Screens, which wants to reform LA Unified's use of technology, says it has 1,100 members. The group is also calling for the district to audit all the tech contracts approved under Carvalho's leadership of the district since 2022. USC Rossier School of Education Dean Pedro Noguera said: "You can't have someone who's under investigation like this, leading the district. "They're in the middle of budget cuts and negotiations with unions. It's a very challenging time for the district. Noguera compared Carvalho's position to that of former Chicago public schools superintendent Barbara Byrd-Bennet, who in 2015 resigned amid a bribery investigation. Bennet later pleaded guilty. The Carvalho investigation appears to overlap with LAUSD's dealings with AllHere, an artificial-intelligence company whose founder was charged with fraud in 2024. The company created a chatbot used by the district, though authorities have not confirmed whether that contract is central to the probe or whether Carvalho himself is a target. Carvalho, a former longtime superintendent in Miami-Dade County, has led LAUSD since 2022. Authorities have not publicly detailed the allegations against him and the affidavit supporting the searches remains sealed. LAUSD said in a statement: "We have been informed of law enforcement activity at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and at the home of the Superintendent. "The District is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time." A joint statement from the LAUSD Board of Education added: "The LAUSD Board of Education understands that today's news has raised questions across our school communities. "The Board's priority remains ensuring that our students, families, and employees experience a safe and welcoming learning environment. "Teaching and learning continue across our schools. Los Angeles Unified continues to stay focused on our responsibility to serve students and our families."