Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to stop new data reporting requirements for colleges and universities through IPEDS. The requirements demand detailed student data disaggregated by race and sex, retroactive for seven years, which the coalition argues jeopardizes student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations.
The coalition is seeking an injunction to block the Department of Education's new IPEDS data reporting requirements and prevent the enforcement of the rushed and arbitrary rules.
In-house legal teams should review agreements between educational institutions and the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., federal student aid participation agreements, IPEDS reporting certifications) as well as any third-party vendor contracts handling student data for reporting. Focus on clauses governing data reporting schedules, data privacy and security standards, compliance with evolving legal requirements, retroactive data requests, representations and warranties regarding data accuracy, indemnification for regulatory penalties, audit and verification rights, and liability caps. Potential changes include negotiating limits on retroactive data periods (e.g., reducing seven-year demand), requiring explicit consent for sensitive demographic data collection, incorporating data minimization principles, clarifying liability for inadvertent errors, and ensuring alignment with FERPA and other privacy statutes to mitigate risks of penalties or investigations.
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U.S. Department of Education
Also known as: Department of Education
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OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-campbell-sues-trump-administration-to-stop-unlawful-data-demand-to-colleges-and-universities
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https://www.mass.gov/doc/ipeds-complaint/download
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https://www.mass.gov/doc/ipeds-comment-letter/download
Massachusetts Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/attorney-generals-office
"the Department of Education"
"jeopardizes student privacy by requesting in-depth information about individual students."
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to stop new data reporting requirements under IPEDS that demand detailed student information. The coalition argues the requirements are unlawful, arbitrary, and jeopardize student privacy by requesting in-depth data that could lead to inadvertent errors and baseless investigations. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the implementation of these requirements.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 16 other states, sued the U.S. Department of Education over a new survey requiring colleges to submit extensive student data, arguing it violates the Administrative Procedure Act and threatens student privacy. The lawsuit seeks to block the mandate and prevent penalties for non-compliance.
Attorney General Nick Brown of Washington led a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education on March 11, 2026, challenging new requirements for the IPEDS survey that demand race- and sex-disaggregated student data retroactive seven years. The coalition alleges the rushed rule violates the law, jeopardizes student privacy by collecting in-depth student information, and imposes undue burdens on institutions with unclear data definitions and risk of severe penalties for errors. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate the rule, arguing it was arbitrarily implemented without proper procedure and poses widespread privacy risks to students.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, joined by 16 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to stop new data collection requirements under IPEDS that threaten student privacy by requesting sensitive personal information including income, test scores, and GPA.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to block the expansion of IPEDS data collection requiring colleges to submit race-linked student data. The lawsuit argues the demand is arbitrary, capricious, and burdensome, and could enable costly partisan investigations. A multistate coalition co-led the challenge.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 18 other attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing a U.S. Department of Education proposal to expand data collection on race, admissions, and student performance from colleges and universities. The coalition argues the proposal is unreasonably burdensome, unlikely to yield quality data, and could be misused to target lawful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, raising student privacy concerns.