Moody Bible Institute has reached a legal settlement with the Chicago Board of Education that will allow its education students to complete student-teaching placements in Chicago Public Schools after months of litigation.
The agreement follows a four-month legal dispute between the Chicago-based evangelical college and Chicago Public Schools.
According to a statement from Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal organization representing Moody, CPS revised its Student Teacher Internship Agreement to ensure that the school’s religious convictions and expectations for students are respected.
The conflict began in November when Moody filed a lawsuit accusing the Chicago Board of Education of religious discrimination. The institute alleged that CPS barred its students from participating in the student-teaching program because of Moody’s religious policies.
Founded in 1886 by evangelist Dwight L. Moody, the Christian college maintains standards requiring students and staff to adhere to historic evangelical beliefs and practices. According to the complaint, CPS required Moody to agree to nondiscrimination policies that the institution argued conflicted with those convictions.
Although the Illinois State Board of Education approved Moody’s Elementary Education program in January 2024, the lawsuit claimed CPS still prevented Moody students from entering its student-teacher program.
Officials reportedly cited a policy stating that participating colleges cannot “discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of ... religion, ... gender identity/expression, [or] sexual orientation.”
Moody’s legal filing argued that the policy violated constitutional protections as well as state law safeguarding religious freedom.
The complaint also said CPS requirements interfered with the design of Moody’s education program, which includes mandatory observation hours in both public and Christian school classrooms.
The dispute drew attention from federal lawmakers, including Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who sent a letter in December to CPS Interim Superintendent Macquline King raising concerns about the case. According to The College Fix, Walberg described the allegations of religious discrimination as “deeply troubling.”
Walberg, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, warned that CPS appeared to be pressuring Moody to change its biblical positions on sexuality to participate in the program.
Following the settlement, Moody Bible Institute is now listed on the Chicago Public Schools website as an approved university partner, allowing its students to resume student-teaching placements within the district.
