“A report by Dr. Steven Welsh of the Georgia Chiropractic Council indicates that the Council on Chiropractic Education has seemingly ignored the overwhelming input from the profession at large.  In September 2010, the CCE Task Force on Accreditation Standards released a second draft to the public for comments. At the latest meeting Jan. 14, the CCE met and adopted new educational standards that will become effective in January of next year.  Welsh, who attended the public proceedings, reports that the CCE President announced that the Council had received two complaints. No details were provided. Council members were reminded of the need for complete confidentiality.  In October 2010, it was reported by Welsh that the CCE had received approximately 3,000 submissions from the profession.  During their annual business meeting last Friday, the CCE reviewed and approved the 3rd draft submitted by the Task Force, which included multiple amendments by individual council members. One proposed amendment was not approved by the council. Based on feedback from the chiropractic profession, Dr. Guy Riekeman suggested that the new standards include a reference to the foundational concepts upon which our profession is based…After a discussion of the fact that the CCE doesn't support any specific philosophy and a comment from one council member that subluxation is not evidence informed, the council overwhelmingly defeated the motion.” Chiropractic Economics (25th January 2011)

UPDATE 1 - March 2011: Hundreds of chiropractors sign a petition aimed at stopping the CCE from redefining chiropractic.

UPDATE 2 - March 2011: US Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) makes only "minor" revisions to draft standards.  (Changes in force from 2012.)

UPDATE 3 - Summary of September to December 2011 developments.

UPDATE 4 - Summary of the CCE's one-year recognition renewal granted in December 2011: "The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), the sole agency recognized to specifically accredit chiropractic colleges in the United States, was given a one-year renewal of its status with the Department of Education (DOE) after being presented with a list of 42 “issues or problems” it must address within the coming year. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity [NACIQI] spent more than four hours on Dec. 14, 2011, hearing from CCE supporters and detractors before making its decision on the agency, which has come under fire for making major changes in its Accreditation Standards last year. The CCE’s changes eliminated all reference to subluxation, removed the term "without drugs or surgery" from the description of chiropractic and asserted its authority to accredit any program it deems to be "equivalent" to the current DC program…The Committee did make it clear that it “is not the Department’s responsibility to take sides in this ongoing philosophical discussion,” and that many of the charges leveled against the CCE were not related to the Secretary’s Criteria for Recognition, which is the sole standard by which an accrediting agency may be evaluated. It did, however, note that the CCE “did not provide evidence of its consideration of all comments it received during the course of its standards review process. It should be noted that an agency is required to consider all comments, but is not required to implement all of the comments or suggestions it receives.” Twenty individuals appeared as commenters during the meeting…Speaking in opposition to the CCE’s new standards were the International Chiropractors Association, the International Federation of Chiropractors and Organizations (IFCO), the Movement for Chiropractic Quality and Integrity, the Georgia Council of Chiropractic, and the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation, among others."

UPDATE 5 - Anti-subluxationist elected as the Chair of the CCE: Craig Little DC, DABCO, a member of the affirmed anti-subluxation West Hartford Group, ran unopposed for the position of Council Chairman on 13th January 2012.

UPDATE 6 - May 2012: The Truth About CCE: What really happened with NACIQI and USDOE  Fact: The term “subluxation” was not removed from the 2012 CCE Standards; Removal of “without drugs or surgery” from the 2012 CCE Standards…Primarily, the language was removed because it is inaccurate and misrepresents reality. Drugs and surgery are a part of the chiropractic profession and have been for at least 108 years. As difficult as it may be for some to accept this fact, it is nevertheless, true. At least one chiropractic college teaches minor surgery in its core curriculum and has done so continuously for decades. Some other chiropractic colleges either offer minor surgery as an elective or as a continuing education program. At least one state licensing board requires 36 hours of instruction in minor surgery as an eligibility requirement for licensure in that jurisdiction. As for “drugs,” this is a much more difficult and complex issue to address because the term “drug” needs further refinement and definition…Vitamins, minerals, supplements, medicinal herbs, nutraceuticals, etc., any or all of which are taught at some chiropractic colleges and used specifically to influence human physiology, certainly qualify under the broader definition of drug. Compounding this issue is the use of over-the-counter, non-prescription aids, many of which were at one time controlled, prescription items…Therefore, it is accurate to state that chiropractic practice does include at least some degree of both the practice of minor surgery and the use of drugs; Disregard of input from the chiropractic profession during the CCE Standards review process: Fact: During its evaluation of the CCE, USDOE staff reviewed: memos, emails and meeting agendas of the Standards Review Task Force (SRTF); minutes of CCE Council meetings regarding SRTF actions and activities; a timeline of the review process; announcements for public comment, actual comments submitted and CCE staff reviews of public comments; and memos demonstrating the process of how all comments received were reviewed for consideration. Additionally, USDOE staff was provided factual details regarding the letter writing campaign for which opposition has given so much importance; Other facts: Contrary to widely held belief among the CCE opposition, it is not the responsibility of the CCE to represent the profession – this is the function of professional trade organizations (ACA, ICA, etc.). Further, the authority to define the profession and to establish the scope of practice remains with the jurisdictional licensing authorities and legislatures of each state. The CCE is responsible for ensuring that doctor of chiropractic degree programs provide an educational program that is characterized by quality and continuous improvement. Of the 54 US jurisdictions (including District of Columbia and three territories), 45 boards directly reference the Council on Chiropractic Education in their laws (statutes and/or regulations) while the other eight Boards indirectly reference CCE (most often as “a chiropractic accrediting agency recognized by the USDE.”) In the end, the staff of the United States Department of Education saw through the misrepresentations and faulty claims made by those in opposition to CCE. [American Academy of Chiropractic Physicians website]