The FBI executed search warrants at the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and the home of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday (February 25), as part of a federal investigation whose details remain under seal. The searches also included a property in Florida, where Carvalho previously worked, but authorities have not disclosed the focus of the investigation or any specific allegations.
According to a statement from the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, agents served warrants at both the district headquarters and Carvalho's residence in the San Pedro neighborhood. The affidavits outlining the reasons for the searches are court-sealed, limiting available information. The district confirmed it was “cooperating with the investigation,” but did not offer further comment.
Carvalho has led the Los Angeles Unified School District—America’s second largest, serving over 500,000 students in more than two dozen cities—since February 2022. Before that, he was superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida from 2008 to 2021, where he earned praise for boosting graduation rates and academic performance. The Los Angeles Board of Education voted last September to extend his contract for four more years.
No arrests or charges have been announced so far, and federal officials have declined to discuss the case further, citing the sealed court documents. The Department of Justice recently petitioned to join a lawsuit against the district over allegations of discrimination, but it is unclear if there is any connection to the FBI’s searches.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office stated it had no information about the searches and emphasized that the school district operates independently from city government. The investigation is ongoing, with further details expected as court records become available.