The Los Angeles Unified School District board has placed Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on administrative leave, two days after FBI agents raided his home and district headquarters. The unanimous decision followed closed-door meetings on Thursday and Friday, with the board appointing Andres Chait as interim superintendent.
Board President Scott M Schmerelson stated the move aims to ensure uninterrupted education for students. The board declined to discuss the reasons behind the raids, which also targeted a property near Miami linked to Carvalho's former associate Debra Kerr.
The FBI confirmed the searches were conducted under a sealed warrant but offered no further comment. Reports link the investigation to the defunct education tech firm AllHere, which developed a chatbot for the district under a $3 million contract in 2024. Carvalho had championed the chatbot as 'unprecedented in American public education'.
AllHere collapsed months later, with founder Joanna Smith-Griffin facing fraud charges. Carvalho previously denied personal involvement in hiring the company and pledged to investigate. The raids have also raised concerns about Carvalho's stance on immigration enforcement near schools, which he had publicly criticised.
