18 states sue Betsy DeVos for delaying rules meant to protect students from predatory colleges

It is one of two lawsuits facing the Education Department over the rules to protect students

The lawsuit claims that the government is siding with for-profit colleges over students (Getty)

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have stepped up to protect federal student loan borrowers defrauded by their school by filing a lawsuit against US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The lawsuit was filed in the DC federal district court, and is led by Massachusetts. The 19 Democratic attorneys general claim that Ms DeVos is illegally delaying regulations developed by former President Barack Obama’s administration to target predatory colleges. The rules were finalised last year by the Obama administration and were supposed to take effect this week.

“Since Day One, Secretary DeVos has sided with for-profit school executives against students and families drowning in unaffordable student loans,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “Her decision to cancel vital protections for students and taxpayers is a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law.”

The rules were aimed at making it easier for a defrauded student loan borrower to seek debt forgiveness. The rules also pushed to prohibit colleges from requiring students to go through arbitration to resolve complaints, rather than through the courts.

The Trump administration delayed the implementation of the rules last month, noting that a California-based association representing for-profit colleges had mounted a legal challenge.

Ms Devos said at that time that the rules would create “a muddled process that’s unfair to students and schools, and puts taxpayers on the hook for significant costs.

The lawsuit filed by the states is the second legal challenge to Ms DeVos’ delaying the rules. The group Public Citizen joined Harvard Law School’s Project on Predatory Student Lending to challenge the delay as well.

Both of those lawsuits cite concerns that Ms DeVos is violating the Administrative Procedure Act, and both are requesting that the courts tell the administration that it must enforce the rules.

A statement from Ms DeVos was not immediately available as the administration reviewed the lawsuit.