A United States District Court judge has ruled that the Obama administration “procedurally erred” in revoking authority from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
John King, the secretary of education under President Barack Obama, moved to terminate the council in September of 2016. His office expressed a lack of confidence in the agency’s oversight of independent colleges, such as the Corinthian network that was found by a federal investigation that same year to be committing fraud. Last week’s District Court decision, however, sends the council’s case back to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who must now make a verdict on reviving ACICS.
The Trump administration supported and enforced the Obama’s White House’s termination of the agency, Inside Higher Ed reported in May of 2017. ACICS is not currently listed on the Department of Education’s page of federally recognized accrediting agencies.
