A new investigative report has unearthed a disturbing trend within the Biden administration’s Department of Education – an alleged disproportionate targeting of Christian and vocational schools through enforcement actions. The findings, as detailed by the American Principles Project (APP), reveal a startling disparity where 70% of penalties issued by the Office of Enforcement were aimed at these institutions, despite their representation constituting less than 10% of college enrollments.
“The Department has targeted Christian colleges and universities with baseless accusations, sensationalized public-opinion campaigns, and egregious penalties – with the goal of shutting down these schools, which do not comport with the administration’s ‘woke’ agenda,” voiced Jon Schweppe, Director of Policy at APP and author of the report.
One standout case highlighted in the report is the record fines imposed on Liberty University and Grand Canyon University, totaling a staggering $51.7 million. This amount overshadows all enforcement actions taken by the Department over the past seven years combined, raising questions about bias and selective enforcement practices.
Schweppe drew attention to the stark contrast in fines between Christian institutions and public universities involved in high-profile scandals. For instance, Liberty University faced a $14 million penalty for alleged Clery Act violations related to crime reporting procedures, while Michigan State University received a significantly lower fine for failing to report sexual abuses by Larry Nassar.
The APP report points towards what it perceives as systemic bias against Christian schools when it comes to enforcement actions. Despite denials from the Department of Education regarding any influence based on religious affiliation or non-profit status, data presented in the report suggests otherwise. While average fines for campus crime law violations among all colleges stood at $228,571 over the past decade, Christian schools faced an average penalty of $815,000.
Schweppe condemned these enforcement actions as nothing short of ideological warfare. “The Biden-Harris Department of Education has been engaged in a long-running scheme to punish Christian colleges that are ideologically opposed to the left’s agenda,” he remarked.
As allegations swirl amid calls for oversight hearings and investigations into the Department’s actions, questions loom large about potential political motivations behind these penalties. With President-elect Donald Trump poised to usher in changes within federal education policies, including potential restructuring or dismantling of certain departments like Education, tensions surrounding education governance are running high.
In this climate of contention and controversy, one thing remains clear – the battle lines have been drawn between those advocating for unbiased oversight and accountability in education enforcement and those decrying what they view as targeted attacks on institutions that hold differing ideological perspectives.
