18 states sue Betsy DeVos over suspension of rules meant to protect students

Accusing her of putting for-profit schools above students and their families, 18 Democratic attorneys general sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday over her decision to delay and rewrite rules that make schools responsible financially for fraud.

"Since day one, Secretary DeVos has sided with for-profit school executives against students and families drowning in unaffordable student loans," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. "Her decision to cancel vital protections for students and taxpayers is a betrayal of her office's responsibility and a violation of federal law."

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., calls for the implementation of rules crafted during the Obama administration that were set to take effect July 1. On June 14, DeVos said the rules — which would also prevent schools from forcing students to resolve complaints outside of court — would be postponed and ultimately rewritten because they created a "muddled process that's unfair to students and schools and puts taxpayers on the hook for significant costs," The Associated Press reports.

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