The Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program launched in 2021 and offers up to $25,000 over the course of three years to repay educators’ student loans. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Rhode Island Department of Education and Providence Public School District, alleging that the PPSD’s Educators of Color Loan Forgiveness Program racially discriminated against white teachers. The program, which offers eligible teachers of color up to $25,000 to repay student loans over three years, was created in 2021 by the PPSD and RIDE in collaboration with the Rhode Island Foundation to increase the racial diversity of PPSD teachers. To qualify, teachers must be new hires, have at least $5,000 in student loan debt and identify as racially diverse — which includes Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, biracial or multiracial teachers. “There is such a mismatch in Providence between students and teachers.”“It’s more likely for teachers of color to hold more student loans than white teachers,” she added.