Additional Communications between ED and ACICS
On June 15, 2018, NSLDN submitted a FOIA request seeking communications between the Department and ACICS and its representatives. This Request updates prior requests (here and here) submitted by NSLDN under FOIA.
As reported by Politico, ACICS has been "getting some help" from political staffers at the Department of Education with respect to its attempts to regain recognition as an accreditor. And despite recommendations from the Department’s career staff, Secretary DeVos has at least temporarily reinstated ACICS as a recognized accreditor. This raises serious questions about the extent to which the Department of Education is acting to help an accreditor, rather than protect the students who attend the schools ACICS accredits.
A copy of the FOIA request is available here.
On August 27, 2018, the Department issued a final response stating it was unable to locate any responsive documents. On September 11, 2018, NSLDN appealed the Department’s response.
On January 7, 2019, the Department granted NSLDN’s appeal in full and provided 57 pages of responsive documents. The documents are available in two parts: