New Push to Drop Drug Offenses as Barrier to Student Aid

Jared Bass was quoted in Inside Higher Ed on the inconsistencies involved in attaching financial aid eligibility to one type of crime:

Policy observers like Jared Bass, senior counsel for education and strategy at New America's education policy program and a former Department of Education official, have noted the inconsistencies involved in attaching aid eligibility to one type of crime, regardless of the severity of the offense and with many different laws from state to state. A student going to college in a state like California, where marijuana is legal for recreational purchase, for example, could still lose federal aid eligibility if convicted of a drug offense in a state like Texas. And a student convicted for crimes such as burglary and not incarcerated would still be eligible for federal aid, while a student convicted of a nonviolent drug offense would not. "That's still time you're not taking classes and not enrolled in school," said Bass. While students lose federal aid, they are still eligible for state or institutional aid programs. And individuals who lose access to federal aid can restore their eligibility sooner by completing a drug rehabilitation program.

“That’s highly problematic,” Bass said.