Cranford, NJ — American Atheists filed a formal comment with the Department of Education demanding that the Department withdraw a proposed rule that violates the the First Amendment. The proposed Accreditation, Innovation and Modernization Rule would create a mechanism that is ripe for abuse by favoring institutions of higher education that have religious missions that align with the Administration’s political objectives.
“We urge the Department to withdraw this proposed rule change,” said American Atheists Legal Director Geoffrey Blackwell. “Proceeding with this change would damage the credibility of accrediting agencies as well as institutions of higher education, and set a dangerous precedent for governmental overreach into activities protected by the First Amendment.”
The broad and ambiguous provision giving accrediting agencies the authority base their decisions on the agencies’ interpretation of an institution’s “religious mission” would grant those agencies unbridled discretion to deny accreditation to institutions of higher education based on whether the institution espouses beliefs that align with this Administration’s ideological aims. Allowing this change to go into effect risks undermining the freedom of expression and would inevitably result in censorship.
