Dept of ED: Don't Let Colleges Deny Students' the Right to Sue
The U.S. Department of Education
Students shouldn’t be forced to give up their constitutional rights just to pursue an education.
Buried in the fine print of certain college enrollment agreements is language that takes away students’ and families’ constitutional right to a day in court. It’s called a “forced arbitration” clause, and it throws any dispute out of court – and into a private, secretive system where a tribunal chosen by the school gets to decide who wins, and who loses. These clauses also deny students the right to join together in a class action lawsuit when they are victims of these crimes, forcing defrauded students to act alone, even if hundreds or thousands of others have been harmed by the same misconduct.
The Department of Education could put a stop to this TODAY. We call on the Department of Education to deny any federal student loan money to schools using forced arbitration.
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To:
The U.S. Department of Education
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned, call on the Department of Education to require, as a condition of receiving federal funding, that colleges agree not to use pre-dispute arbitration clauses in contracts with students and their families. Students should not have to sacrifice their day in court for a day in the classroom.