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Teachers Sue DeVos, Dept of Education Over Student Loans That Weren't Forgiven
At the Smart Dissent Education page linked here, we have written over and over and over about the heinous efforts of the worthless Betsy DeVos to destroy our education system. Instead of drastically needed help for our schools and students, DeVos repeatedly inflict more harm in new ways.
Last week, we fought back again. We are fighting to hold DeVos accountable for turning her back on teachers and students. One of the biggest U.S. teachers unions is suing the Department of Education, alleging a loan forgiveness program for millions of public service workers violates federal law and the Constitution.
... lawsuit being brought by one of the biggest teachers unions in the country against the Department of Education. The suit alleges the loan forgiveness program for millions of public service workers is in such a shambles that it violates federal law and the Constitution.
The American Federation of Teachers filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court. In the complaint, the union is asking the court to order the department to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that it meets legal standards. It's also asking the department to come up with an appeals process for people who believe they have been treated unfairly.
The teachers union lawsuit alleges that the Department of Education "knows of — but completely disregards — repeated misrepresentations made by [student loan] servicers to borrowers who are attempting to qualify ... resulting in unwarranted denials of loan forgiveness."
What you're going to read below will seem impossible to believe.
Congress created the program more than a decade ago to encourage public service. So, if you make loan payments for 10 years and you work in a qualifying job for the government or a nonprofit, the program promises to forgive the remainder of your federal student loan debt.
That promise sounded really good to a lot of people. More than 1 million have filed official paperwork to take part in the program. But there's a problem.
By the department's last count, only 1% of the people who think they've made their 10 years of payments and apply for loan forgiveness are getting approved.
"The promise is broken, virtually all the time," says Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. "This is a debacle."
Government represents us. It was created by us, it exists for us. When government fails a group, it fails us all. Where is the accountability?