NBCE Refuses to Answer Students Questions Citing “Security & Safety” Concerns
Originally published: 2025-10-12
Students Take Their Questions Straight to the Source
Chiropractic students representing several chiropractic schools and programs made a trip to Greeley, Colorado to stand outside the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) headquarters and ask a simple question: Why are you doing this?
The “this” in question is the NBCE’s plan to centralize the Part IV clinical exam, stripping schools and regions of local control and forcing all test-takers to travel to a single national site for an exam that is wholly unnecessary to begin with. No other health care providers are required to take such a test to get licensed. The students were joined by Dr. Scott Kelley, President of the Chiropractic Society of Texas, who rang the NBCE’s buzzer and politely asked if leaders would come outside to speak with the students.
At first, NBCE staff said they would “let him know.” But when Dr. Kelley returned after a long wait to remind them that the students were still outside waiting, NBCE staff refused to appear, citing “safety and security” concerns.
“They had no problem taking millions from these students’ pockets, but suddenly they felt unsafe answering their questions.”
When it became clear that the NBCE’s leader Norman Ouzts would not come out, the students held their ground. They stood peacefully outside the locked doors, holding signs and calling for transparency in full view of the partially constructed building rising behind them, a structure the NBCE is financing with student loan money to house the very Part IV centralization scheme that sparked the protest in the first place.
The symbolism wasn’t lost on anyone there: students protesting in the shadow of a building they are being forced to pay for, but will never own a piece of.
“They’re literally building their empire with our debt,” one student remarked.
There is video of Dr. Kelley speaking to NBCE staff at the buzzer and students calmly waiting for dialogue that never came.
A Pattern of Avoidance and Control
This refusal to engage isn’t new. It’s part of a well-worn NBCE playbook that includes controlling narratives, silencing dissent, and sidestepping accountability.
Next week, NBCE CEO Norman Ouzts is scheduled to appear at Life University for a student “cocktail hour” sponsored by the Alumni Association to “discuss subjects surrounding the National Boards.” Ironically, Life alumnus Dr. Matthew McCoy, who has long advocated for transparency and accountability in chiropractic governance, was denied entrance to the same event and censored by the institution after paying $250.00 for a table with seats intended for LIFE students with questions.
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In Dr. McCoy’s own words:
“As a LIFE alumnus, I purchased a table to bring students to the dinner. After payment and confirmation, I received a refund notice and a disinvitation on the grounds that my presence was ‘inconsistent with our goal of engaging students while modeling civil and professional dialogue between colleagues with whom we may disagree.’”
The irony speaks for itself, a university that claims to teach “civil dialogue” silencing one of its own alumni for wanting to attend an Alumni event.
“When the NBCE shows up, the microphones turn off for anyone who might ask the real questions.”
This mirrors the same dynamic we’ve seen across the profession, from the NBCE’s closed-door delegate meetings, to their refusal to release outcomes data, to their dismissal of school and board opposition to the Part IV centralization plan.
Widespread Opposition Ignored
Dozens of chiropractic schools, state board members, and even NBCE delegates have gone on record opposing the centralization plan. They’ve asked for evidence, data showing that centralization improves fairness, outcomes, or validity.
The NBCE has provided none.
Instead, they have continued to press forward while refusing to release the very outcomes data to justify the change. This is happening against the backdrop of ongoing data integrity issues that the NBCE has yet to fully explain.
“You can’t claim to protect the public when you won’t even tell the public what you’re doing, or why.”
The Cartel’s Biggest Power Grab Yet
In just a few short months, the NBCE and its partners in the chiropractic cartel are poised to execute what may be the biggest power grab in the history of the chiropractic profession. Centralizing Part IV gives them control over who enters the profession, where, and when. It turns what was once a profession-wide assessment of clinical competence into a bottleneck controlled by a single corporation in Greeley.
Every graduate from a anywhere in the world that wants to practice in the United states will now have to travel to Greeley to get their permission regardless of the fact that your diploma certifies your competency - if not - then what is the purpose of the CCE?
The students standing outside NBCE headquarters represent the next generation of chiropractors, and they are doing what too many leaders have failed to do, demanding transparency and accountability.
The Greeley Grift Exposed
The NBCE has made it clear that they will not voluntarily give up their monopoly on chiropractic licensure. But the tide is turning. Students, schools, and state boards are uniting to say enough is enough.
The video of Dr. Kelley at the NBCE door, calmly requesting dialogue while the organization hid behind tinted glass, captures the entire problem in a single moment:
“When those entrusted with safeguarding the profession lock themselves inside, it’s time to ask who they’re really protecting.”
