Published: May 2020

U.S. Dept. of Education urged to protect students as higher education programs move online

COVID-19 has made it more important than ever to maintain strong oversight of distance education programs and their use of taxpayer dollars. Significantly changing or weakening government regulations presents a serious risk to students. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, coalition advocates urged the Department to maintain basic safeguards in distance education and innovation regulations, which is particularly critical given the number of schools that have recently moved to online offerings as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Consumer Action joined advocates in a letter to the Department of Education encouraging the Department to maintain strong regulatory protections for students regarding distance learning—specifically the regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors, and the existing limits on allowing colleges to outsource programs to unaccredited providers.

Lead Organization

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)

Other Organizations

AFSCME | Allied Progress | American Federation of Teachers | Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund | Association of Young Americans (AYA) | Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation | Center for Public Interest Law | Center for Responsible Lending | Children's Advocacy Institute | CLASP | Clearinghouse on Women's Issues | Congress of CT Community Colleges | Consumer Action | Consumer Advocacy and Protection Society (CAPS) at Berkeley Law | Consumer Federation of California | CSU-AAUP | Duke Consumer Rights Project | East Bay Community Law Center | Eastern Connecticut State University | Education Reform Now | The Education Trust | Generation Progress | Government Accountability Project | Higher Education Loan Coalition | Hildreth Institute | Housing and Economic Rights Advocates | The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) | Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition | National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) | National Association for College Admission Counseling | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumers League | National Student Legal Defense Network | New America Higher Education Program | NextGen California | Partnership for College Completion | PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts) | Project on Predatory Student Lending | Public Counsel | Public Good Law Center | Public Law Center | Robert Shireman, The Century Foundation | Student Veterans of America | Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition | National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) | National Association for College Admission Counseling | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumers League | National Student Legal Defense Network | New America Higher Education Program | NextGen California | Partnership for College Completion | PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts) | Project on Predatory Student Lending | Public Counsel | Public Good Law Center | Public Law Center

More Information

Click here to read the full letter.

For more information, please visit TICAS.

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