By Mariana Dale for LAist
Originally published Feb. 27, 2026
Topline:
The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted unanimously to place Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave pending an investigation after an hours-long closed meeting Thursday and Friday. The board appointed longtime administrator and current Chief of School Operations Andres Chait as acting superintendent.
The backstory: The reason for the searches is unknown, although it has been the subject of widespread speculation. A DOJ spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide additional details. The FBI told LAist media partner CBS LA that the underlying affidavit remained under court-ordered seal.
About the superintendent: Carvalho has been superintendent of LAUSD since 2022, and the board unanimously renewed his contract in 2025. Prior to coming to L.A., Carvalho had worked for the Miami-Dade County school district for decades, 30 years as a teacher and the last 14 years as the district’s supervisor.
A potential connection to AI: A spokesperson for the FBI in Miami confirmed Wednesday’s L.A. searches are linked to a search of a South Florida home the same day. That property, identified by local media outlets, belongs to a woman associated with the company LAUSD contracted with to create a short-lived AI tool.