On Thursday, Rep. Dr. Donna Shalala, Peter King and Sean Casten introduced the Stop College Closures Act, a bipartisan bill that would require accreditors to play a bigger role in preventing sudden school closures.
Dr. Donna ShalalaIf passed, accreditors would need to track student complaints and if need be, submit them to state agencies and the U.S. Secretary of Education. They would also be required to monitor colleges that show signs of diminishing quality early in the accreditation process and review teach-out plans when they see signs of a potential school closure.
“When colleges and universities unexpectedly shutter, students are often cheated out of years of hard work and thousands of dollars with nothing to show for it,” said Shalala. “It is the accreditors’ job to ensure institutions have the proper procedures in place to act in the best interest of our students and maintain the integrity of the accreditation process. Spotting the warning signs of a potential school closure as early as possible is critical to avoiding the worst possible outcome.”
