2024 presidential candidate and GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he is suing President Joe Biden’s Department of Education over its accreditation process for colleges and universities.
According to a press release from DeSantis’ office, the Biden administration has attempted to “undercut” Florida’s higher education reforms, stating that the Department of Education has “unconstitutionally collaborated with accreditation bodies to try to block the Governor’s efforts to bring increased transparency and accountability to public colleges and universities.”
Last year, DeSantis signed legislation requiring colleges and universities to seek accreditation from different accreditors in consecutive cycles. Reportedly, universities are required to go through an accreditation process to receive federal funding. State law now requires over half of Florida’s public colleges and universities to change accreditors in the next two years.
The Department of Education allegedly responded to DeSantis’ efforts with three “guidance documents” that explained what standards the agency would apply to determine whether an institution has “reasonable cause” to change accreditors.
“State law requires over half of Florida’s public colleges and universities to change accreditors in the next two years. Their ability to do so is substantially burdened, if not entirely prevented, by the Biden administration’s abuse of the current accreditation scheme,” the press release from DeSantis’ office explained. “Governor DeSantis will not allow Florida’s public colleges and universities to be held hostage by accreditors that are unaccountable to the people of Florida.”
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“I will not allow Joe Biden’s Department of Education to defund America’s No. 1 higher education system all because we refuse to bow to unaccountable accreditors who think they should run Florida’s public universities,” DeSantis said in a statement Thursday.
“Throughout my time in office, I have made it a priority to bring transparency and accountability to higher education and to reorient the mission of our colleges and universities away from purveying destructive ideologies and back toward the pursuit of truth and the preparation of our students for success. The Biden administration’s attempts to block these reforms is an abuse of federal power, and with this lawsuit, we will ensure that Florida’s pursuit of educational excellence will continue,” he continued.
The lawsuit was filed this week in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, according to the Associated Press.
The Tampa Bay Times noted that the lawsuit follows a ”tense period” between Florida and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which is the main regional accrediting body in 11 southern states. Until last year, this specific organization accredited all 12 of the state’s public universities.
“In 2021, they (SACS) threatened the accreditation status of FSU, because the Florida (university system) Board of Governors was considering our commissioner of education for the FSU president,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody reportedly said of the lawsuit.
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