[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7702-7703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03686]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Solicitation of Third-Party 
Comments Concerning the Performance of Accrediting Agencies

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments; extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: On January 24, 2018, we published in the Federal Register a 
notice of a call for written third-party comments. That notice provided 
information to members of the public on submitting written comments 
with respect to accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for 
purposes of recognition by the Secretary of Education. That notice 
established a comment period beginning on January 24, 2018, and closing 
on February 16, 2018. Pursuant to a recent court order, we are 
extending the public comment period until March 1, 2018, for the 
submission of comments on the application of the Accrediting Council 
for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) for initial recognition 
and the compliance report submitted by the American Bar Association 
(ABA).

DATES: The comment period for the notice published January 24, 2018 (83 
FR 3335), is extended. We must receive your comments on or before March 
1, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Written comments about the initial application for 
recognition of ACICS or the ABA compliance report must be received by 
March 1, 2018, in the [email protected] mailbox and include the 
subject line ``Written Comments: (agency name).''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7615, or email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: On January 24, 2018, we published in the Federal 
Register (83 FR 3335) a notice of a call for written third-party 
comments with respect to accrediting agencies currently undergoing 
review for purposes of recognition by the Secretary of Education. Under 
that notice, the public comment period closes on February 16, 2018. On 
February 15, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of 
New York ordered the Department of Education to extend the comment 
period to March 1, 2018, for comments on the initial application for 
recognition of ACICS and the compliance report submitted by the ABA. 
(See The Century Foundation v. Betsy Devos, case number 18-cv-1128).
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you 
must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.


[[Page 7703]]


    Dated: February 16, 2018.
Frank T. Brogan,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and delegated the duties of the 
Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy 
Development Delegated the duties of the Assistant Secretary, Office of 
Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-03686 Filed 2-16-18; 4:15 pm]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P