Education Law

House bill to reportedly call for federal student loan caps, end of Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The U.S. House of Representatives will consider proposed changes to the Higher Education Act, including limits on the amount of money students and parents can borrow in government student loan programs, and ending loan forgiveness programs for public interest employees, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).

Dec 1, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Prosecutors drop charges against mom who placed recorder in daughter’s backpack to catch bullies

Prosecutors in Norfolk, Virginia, have dropped charges against a mother who says she put a digital recorder in her daughter’s backpack to catch bullies after school officials failed to act. School officials had confiscated the recorder from the fourth-grader and contacted prosecutors for a legal review. The mother, Sarah Sims,…

Nov 29, 2017 5:03 PM CST

Oxford grad’s suit claims bad teaching cost him the chance to attend an Ivy League law school

A graduate of Oxford University claims his lower-than-expected grades there 17 years ago made it impossible to attend an Ivy League law school in the United States or to perform well in legal jobs in the United Kingdom. Faiz Siddiqui claims his grades were affected by inadequate teaching in one…

Nov 28, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Tufts delays Scaramucci event after he threatens suit over op-ed pieces

Tufts University has postponed an appearance scheduled for Monday by former White House spokesman Anthony Scaramucci after he threatened to sue the school’s newspaper for defamation. The university said it was postponing the Scaramucci event until the legal matters are resolved, report the Boston Globe, USA Today, Salon and Reuters.…

Nov 27, 2017 10:59 AM CST

Justice Department opens Harvard admissions probe, threatens to sue for documents

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the admissions practices at Harvard and has threatened to sue the university to obtain documents, according to published reports. The Justice Department is investigating whether Harvard’s admissions policies violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans discrimination in programs receiving federal funding,…

Nov 21, 2017 10:38 AM CST

Lawmakers ask Dept. of Ed to extend student loan discharge for Charlotte School of Law students

The Department of Education has the authority to extend enrollment requirements for school loan discharges if there are “exceptional circumstances,” which is what should happen for students at the now-shuttered Charlotte School of Law, say a group of North Carolina U.S. Congress members. The letter to U.S. Department of Education…

Nov 7, 2017 4:04 PM CST

New policy authorizes University of Wisconsin to expel students for repeatedly disrupting speakers

A new policy adopted last week allows the University of Wisconsin to discipline and even expel students who repeatedly disrupt the free expression of others. The policy adopted by the Board of Regents authorizes a one-semester suspension the second time a student materially and substantially disrupts the free expression of…

Oct 12, 2017 3:58 PM CDT

Georgia sheriff is indicted for warrantless search of hundreds of students in high school lockdown

A south Georgia sheriff and two deputies have been indicted in connection with a warrantless search of nearly 800 high school students in a drug sweep that produced no drugs and no arrests. Worth County Sheriff Jeff Hobby was charged Oct. 3 with false imprisonment, violation of oath of office…

Oct 6, 2017 9:36 AM CDT

Department of Ed revokes ‘Dear Colleague’ guidelines for campus sex assault investigations

Corrected: The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced that it will engage in rulemaking regarding schools’ Title IX responsibilities involving campus sexual misconduct complaints, and in a question-and-answer document said that there’s no longer a requirement that institutions use a preponderance of evidence standard when determining whether an assault…

Sep 22, 2017 5:24 PM CDT

Federal judicial nominee says suit over transgender child’s bathroom access shows ‘Satan’s plan’

A Texas federal judicial nominee once characterized a lawsuit over a transgender child’s bathroom access as evidence of Satan’s plan. The nominee, Jeff Mateer, also criticized gay marriage after referring to arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case that found gay couples had a fundamental right to marry. “We’re back…

Sep 21, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyer resigns from firm after tweet saying he’d be ‘OK’ if DeVos were sexually assaulted

A lawyer has resigned from his partnership at a central Texas personal injury law firm after tweeting that he’d be “OK” if Education Secretary Betsy DeVos were sexually assaulted. Rob Ranco resigned from the Carlson Law Firm in Killeen, Managing Partner Craig Carlson announced on Monday. Ranco’s resignation came days…

Sep 13, 2017 10:49 AM CDT

DeVos announces plan to revamp Obama administration guidance on campus sex assault investigations

Declaring that “the era of ‘rule by letter’ is over,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Thursday that Obama administration guidance on campus sexual assault will be replaced following a notice-and-comment process. The system established by the prior administration “has failed too many students,” including accused students denied due process, DeVos…

Sep 7, 2017 12:54 PM CDT

Dept. of Ed’s edits of forms call for judicial review in loan forgiveness case, ABA says in filing

The U.S. Department of Education recently revised two online forms for its Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to say that it applies only to jobs with organizations whose “primary purpose” is either public service or public education. The ABA says in a court filing that this is proof that the…

Sep 7, 2017 10:45 AM CDT

Federal guidelines on campus sexual misconduct ‘seriously overbroad’ say some Harvard law faculty

Four Harvard Law School academics have asked the U.S. Department of Education to revisit policies regarding campus sexual misconduct investigations. The policies were set by the Obama Administration, the Harvard Crimson reports, and outlined in the Office of Civil Rights’ 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter (PDF) that stated that sexual violence…

Sep 1, 2017 2:30 PM CDT

Department of Education seeks delay in Title IX case while it reviews guidance

The U.S. Department of Education has asked for a 90-day hold to be put on a lawsuit that challenges guidance issued in 2011 by the Obama administration regarding policies on campus sexual assault investigations. A lawsuit filed by a University of Virginia law school graduate accused of sexual assault is…

Aug 16, 2017 7:00 AM CDT