Education groups sue DeVos for delaying protections for online students
Two teacher unions are suing the Education Department and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over the agencys delay of rules meant to protect students earning degrees online.
The California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA), along with a second grade teacher in Kansas, a fourth grade teacher in California, and a student enrolled in an online program at Western Governors University, allege DeVos is illegally holding up rules that require online universities to notify students of whether the programs in which they are enrolled or plan to enroll meet state licensing standards or have faced adverse actions from the state or accreditor.
The disclosures are meant to help prospective and enrolled students evaluate whether a particular online or distance education program meets or continues to meet their needs, the groups argue in the 27-page complaint. The complaint was filed by the National Student Legal Defense Network on the groups' behalf in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.
The final rule was published in December 2016 and took effect on July 1, 2018. According to the groups, the Education Department said it received two letters in February raising questions and concerns about the rule, which served as a catalyst for their decision to issue a delay on July 3, two days after it took effect.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/403323-education-groups-sue-devos-for-delaying-protections-for-online