LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid leave after FBI raids

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was placed on paid administrative leave Friday after FBI agents executed search warrants earlier this week at his Los Angeles-area home, LAUSD headquarters and a third location near Miami, the district said. The board voted unanimously to suspend Carvalho with pay following closed-door deliberations as a sealed federal investigation remains under way.

The search warrants were served Wednesday, the board met in closed session Thursday and reconvened Friday at 12:30 p.m. before making the leave decision. LAUSD Chief of School Operations Andres Chait was named acting superintendent. The district said it "is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time."

A U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson confirmed a search took place "pursuant to an under seal, court-authorized warrant" and declined further comment. Federal authorities have not publicly described the nature of the probe and no charges have been announced.

Local reporting has connected the FBI activity to AllHere, a now-defunct education-technology company that secured a multimillion-dollar contract with LAUSD and produced a chatbot called Ed for students, parents and teachers. The district paid roughly $3 million for the contract, and Ed was quietly disconnected three months after its 2024 release. The leader of AllHere has been indicted on fraud charges, according to public court records tied to that case. Federal officials have not confirmed a criminal link between the searches and any individual within LAUSD.

The raids and Carvalho’s suspension reverberated through a district that educates more than 400,000 students, many from low-income families and immigrant communities that rely on schools for not only education but food, health services and counseling. Board member Claros described the moment this way: "It's a big cloud; it's an FBI cloud. Especially during this time right now, with this climate in politics coming from the federal level to Los Angeles, this is not what we need right now."

Carvalho, who led Miami public schools for more than a decade before taking charge of LAUSD, had been a prominent advocate for immigrant students and families and had pushed aggressive recovery strategies after pandemic-era learning losses. In July he hailed district test-score gains as a "new high water mark," citing rises in math and English across all tested grades for a second straight year. He was also a visible proponent of the AI initiative, which he described as "unprecedented in American public education."

The immediate practical fallout centers on governance and continuity. School district leaders must reassure families that services and safety will continue uninterrupted even as an investigation unfolds. Administratively, the interim leadership will face decisions about procurement oversight, data privacy related to the chatbot project, and transparency measures that community advocates and unions have demanded for months.

Public-health and equity advocates warned that the spectacle of federal raids could deepen distrust among communities already wary of authorities, particularly immigrant families who rely on school protections against enforcement actions. District officials and public-health partners must balance cooperation with investigators against prompt, clear outreach to ensure students continue to receive meals, mental-health services and in-school supports without disruption.

Key questions remain unanswered: whether Carvalho is a target of any criminal inquiry, what, if any, documents or devices were seized, and how procurement processes for the chatbot were handled. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not indicated when or whether further filings will be unsealed. In the meantime, the board’s unanimous vote places a high-profile leader on leave as the district grapples with the dual task of managing school operations and restoring public trust.