Is anything sacred for Democrats when it comes to helping citizens.

The short version is this: federal agents raided the home and office of LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, and multiple reports indicate the investigation is tied to LAUSD's failed AI chatbot project called "Ed," which was developed through a multimillion-dollar contract with the education technology company AllHere. Carvalho has not been charged with any crime, and the FBI has not publicly disclosed the full scope of the investigation.

What happened?

On February 25, 2026, the FBI executed search warrants at:

Carvalho's home in Los Angeles
LAUSD headquarters
A Florida residence connected to education consultant Debra Kerr, who had ties to AllHere and Carvalho dating back to his time in Miami-Dade schools.

Two days later, the LAUSD Board placed Carvalho on paid leave. On June 21, 2026, Carvalho resigned as superintendent, though he continued to deny wrongdoing. Authorities still have not announced any charges against him.

What was the chatbot controversy?

The controversy centers on an AI assistant called "Ed."

LAUSD unveiled Ed in 2024 with considerable publicity. The chatbot was marketed as a personalized digital assistant for students and parents that could:

Track grades and attendance
Provide academic recommendations
Translate communications into roughly 100 languages
Help families navigate school services

Carvalho championed the project as a major innovation for the district.

The problem is that the vendor behind Ed, AllHere, collapsed shortly after launch.

Why did it become a scandal?

Several issues emerged:

1. The company imploded.

Within months of Ed's rollout, AllHere furloughed employees, entered bankruptcy, and ceased operations. LAUSD terminated the relationship after already paying millions of dollars toward the project.

2. The founder was indicted.

AllHere founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was later charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft related to allegations that investors were misled about the company's financial condition.

3. Questions arose about how the contract was awarded.

Investigative reporting uncovered connections between AllHere and consultant Debra Kerr, who had longstanding professional ties to Carvalho. Kerr later claimed she was owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions related to the LAUSD deal. Federal investigators reportedly began examining the financial aspects of the contract and the relationships surrounding it.

4. Student data concerns surfaced.

After AllHere's collapse, critics raised concerns about how student information was handled and whether proper safeguards existed for data collected through the chatbot.

Is Carvalho accused of anything?

Not publicly.

That distinction is important.

The FBI searches indicate investigators believed there was sufficient reason to gather evidence, but as of today:

Carvalho has not been charged.
Prosecutors have not publicly accused him of criminal conduct.
The search warrant affidavits remain sealed.
His attorneys continue to maintain he acted lawfully and was not involved in selecting AllHere as a vendor.

Why this became a political story

The optics are terrible for LAUSD.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.