"Within the next couple years, I think we’re going to see this accreditation cartel basically come crumbling down," Gov. Ron DeSantis said. | Francis Chung/POLITICOTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The DeSantis administration sued the U.S. Education Department and top federal officials this week, claiming they are impeding efforts by Florida universities to switch accreditors — a significant priority for state Republicans.
Accreditation agencies generally ensure higher education institutions meet standards of quality and are a necessary go-through for schools to ensure their students are eligible for billions of dollars in federal financial aid. State officials, in turn, argue that the feds sent guidance to boards across the country “seeking to deter new accreditors from working with Florida.”
“The Department of Education holds themselves up as if their action is to protect quality, and that’s why they’re delaying the response to the University of Central Florida,” Rodrigues said Thursday alongside DeSantis.flagging a possible conflict of interestinto the University of Florida’s decision to block three professors from testifying as experts in a legal case challenging a GOP-backed voting bill.