Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ April 12 decision to withdraw rules protecting student loan recipients felt like a direct attack on Americans who have educational debts to repay—something DeVos has never had to do. 

The policies—outlined in memos former President Barack Obama issued at the end of his term—were meant to restrict loan companies from taking advantage of borrowers with misleading sales techniques.

The resulting panic, fear and anger of parents and students who count on those policies are, presumably, countrywide. According to a Feb. 21 Forbes article, the total number of student borrowers in 2017 is 44.2 million.

Her decision is not surprising; DeVos never attended public school or received any kind of student loan—even with governmental protections.

Ripping away crucial protections raises questions many have been asking since DeVos was confirmed in February:  Is DeVos unqualified for her position either because of her lack of experience or her rigid ideological bent?

Her most recent decision April 14 was to appoint Candice Jackson—a white woman who dismissed Trump’s sexual assault accusers of being “fake victims”—as acting head of her department’s Office of Civil Rights, a position that is responsible for reviewing and acting on discrimination allegations against people, brought mainly by women and minorities. 

When 17,000 cases of alleged discrimination against women occurred in the fiscal year 2016, hiring a woman with a hostility to civil rights to head one of the most vital offices is one of the worst decisions DeVos could have made.

As a Stanford University student, Jackson wrote commentaries for a conservative journal claiming that she was discriminated against for being white and attacked the idea of college women fighting together for equal rights.

DeVos first removes protections for borrowers, and now her decision to appoint Jackson will likely have a negative impact on marginalized groups. The Trump Administration seems to be set on knocking down any protections Obama put in place without concern for resulting sufferers. 

Public education and discrimination relate to public health, and without qualified people who understand their job, the country will be unable to tackle issues such as lowering teen pregnancy rates or reducing gun and gang violence. This country can’t prosper if those in charge of our future are indifferent or unaware of how their decisions affect people.

DeVos can’t reverse these decisions, but if she wants to ease public scrutiny, it is vital she protects the education system and hires staff who have not spent two decades undermining the purpose of their job. DeVos would be more accepted if she spent time advocating for public schools, working to desegregate the public school system and aiming the trajectory of public education in a positive direction.