Hawaii one of 18 states suing DeVos over for-profit colleges

Hawaii / 12 de julio de 2017 / Fuente: https://www.bizjournals.com/

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin has joined a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over the suspension of federal rules meant to protect students from misconduct by for-profit colleges.

“More than 2,400 students in Hawaii were hurt by the actions of Heald College, the local brand name of Corinthian Colleges,» Chin said in a statement. «Office of Consumer Protection Executive Director Steve Levins and I joined 18 states last month asking the federal government to act quickly to protect them. Secretary DeVos refused and is instead bending over backwards to help for-profit colleges.”

The lawsuit, filed Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, claims DeVos violated rule-making laws by announcing a June 14 decision to delay its borrower defense to repayment rules finalized under former President Barack Obama’s administration and scheduled to take effect July 1.

The rules would have prohibited colleges from forcing students to sign legal contracts that waive their right to sue. Defrauded students would have a quicker path to erase their loans, and schools, not taxpayers, could have been held responsible for the costs.

“Since day one of the Trump administration, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the administration have sided with for-profit schools over students,” Healey said in a statement. “For me and my colleagues, it’s simple: When students and families are cheated out of an education and taxpayers foot the bill, everybody loses.”

DeVos said in a statement the rules would be delayed and changed because they created “a muddled process that’s unfair to students and schools.» The U.S. Education Department didn’t immediately comment on the suit.

In addition to Hawaii and Massachusetts, the coalition behind the lawsuit includes the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Fuente noticia: https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2017/07/06/hawaii-one-of-18-states-suing-devos-over-for.html