Acting Ranking Member Takano Statement on ACICS
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Acting Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after the Department of Education formally terminated its recognition of The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), an accreditor of more than 200 for-profit schools.
“I strongly support the Department of Education’s decision to terminate its recognition of ACICS as a school accreditor. For many years, ACICS has enabled and exemplified the worst practices of the for-profit education industry. Its primary legacy is accrediting schools that routinely failed to meet the needs of students and prioritized aggressive marketing over providing a quality education. Today’s decision by the Department of Education is a small measure of justice for the hundreds of thousands of students who lost significant time and money because they trusted that attending an ACICS-accredited school would be a bridge to a promising career.
“While this decision is warranted, it will trigger severe disruptions for more than 900,000 students, including roughly 15,000 student veterans. I strongly encourage the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use their authority to help these students complete their education. If you attend a school accredited by ACICS, please visit www.ed.gov/acics for more information.
“Since my first days in Congress I have been sounding alarm bells about the damage for-profit schools are doing to students, especially student veterans. While today was a step in the right direction, there is still significant work we must to do protect students from schools that demonstrate enormous interest in their money and no interest in their future. At the start of the 115th Congress, I will once again introduce the PRO Students Act and call for hearings to address this crisis in for-profit education."
Press Contact
Josh Weisz, 202-225-2305, josh.weisz@mail.house.gov