McCaskill Pushes Back on Secretary DeVos Move to Dismantle Office Investigating For-Profit Schools Potentially Preying on Missouri Students

Senator joins 28 colleagues demanding the Department of Education resume investigations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined 28 of her colleagues in urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to stop the dismantling of the Department’s investigations into abuses by for-profit schools and uphold its commitment to hold colleges accountable for misleading, cheating, or defrauding students.

“It is critically important that the Department fulfill its mission to protect students in higher education, particularly when they rely on federal student aid,” McCaskill and her colleagues wrote in a letter to Secretary DeVos. “Unfortunately, it appears that the Department has instead dramatically reduced the staff dedicated to oversight and monitoring and has halted several important investigations and reviews of large for-profit college chains.”

As Secretary DeVos continues to hire former for-profit college executives and lobbyists, the Department of Education has effectively shut down the Student Aid Enforcement Unit—the office responsible for investigating predatory schools. In addition to hiring for-profit executives, Secretary DeVos has rolled back a number of student protections, despite recommendations from the Department’s independent watchdog.

McCaskill has continually pushed for Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education to uphold their responsibilities. Last year, McCaskill wrote to Secretary DeVos requesting answers on how the agency will support rural schools in the face of proposed budget cuts that hurt funding for programs that support Missouri students in rural areas.

McCaskill has also fought to protect veterans from predatory, for-profit universities. She has continually pushed to end the so-called “90/10” rule by closing a loophole allowing for-profit colleges to count educational benefits for servicemembers and veterans outside the 90 percent cap on federal financial aid, causing some schools to aggressively recruit servicemembers and veterans and profit from benefits owed to them.

Full text of the letter HERE.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/education to learn more about McCaskill’s fight to improve education for Missourians.

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