The Marinello Schools of Beauty locations across the country are closing this week after the U.S. Department of Education cut off federal loans and grants because of records violations, according to the state Office of Higher Education.
Marinello Schools of Beauty, which has schools in Connecticut, California, Kansas, Nevada and Utah, announced today that all campuses will close as well as the “imminent cessation of substantially all operations," citing funding delays from the Department of Education.”
Marinello has campuses in East Hartford, Fairfield, Hamden, Meriden, Niantic and Willimantic and the schools will shut their doors on Friday.
“Our students have gone to great lengths to complete their education to better their lives. The Department (of Education’s) actions have deprived Marinello’s students of the opportunity to complete their education at Marinello without interruption,” a statement from Marinello's public relations firm says.
Students who cannot attend the meetings are asked to send their contact information to student@marinello.com. More details on what information you need to provide are on the Marinello website.
The state Office of Higher Education, however, is asking students to register their contact information online here or call the agency’s Education & Employment Information Center at 800-842-0229.
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“We understand that Marinello has asked its schools to remain open next week so that students may obtain paperwork and information on their options,” Jane A. Ciarleglio, executive director of the Office of Higher Education said in a statement. “As a precaution, however, we urge students to register on our website to provide us with complete information on the status of their coursework. In the event that students are unable to deal with Marinello directly, we can provide them with copies of their transcripts, process tuition reimbursements, and facilitate transfer to other schools once we have records in hand. We are currently working with school officials to obtain electronic and paper copies of student records.”
A statement from the U.S. Department of Education says the entire Marinello school chain, which includes 56 campuses across the country, received more than $87 million in Pell Grants and federal loans for the 2014–15 award year and it previously placed all Marinello schools on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2.
A school that is placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 no longer receives funds under the Advance Payment Method. After the school makes disbursements to students from its own institutional funds, it must submit a reimbursement payment request to the Department of Education for the funds.
“We want you to know that we did everything in our power to avoid this unfortunate conclusion and keep your school open. Unfortunately, the Department of Education’s unprecedented and unfounded actions left us with no other option except to close our schools,” Rashed Elyas, chairman and CEO of Marinello Schools of Beauty, said in a statement.
Following is the full statement from Marinello’s public relations firm.
“Our students have gone to great lengths to complete their education to better their lives. The Department’s actions have deprived Marinello’s students of the opportunity to complete their education at Marinello without interruption.
"When the Department began to withhold funds from our deserving students two months ago, we pleaded with the Department to provide even basic information about its concerns, yet it refused to do so. We are confident we would have been able to address them given Marinello’s long history of compliance with regulatory requirements. The Department waited until we were past the point of no return financially to allow us any opportunity to respond to its unfounded allegations.
“Our priority now is to provide the best possible outcome for our students. We are working closely with our state educational agencies, our accrediting commission, and well-respected schools to provide a smooth transition for our students so they are able to complete their education and achieve the life they have worked so hard for. We are also saddened by the loss of approximately 800 jobs and the end of a century-old institution. To our students and coworkers, we want you to know that we did everything in our power to avoid this unfortunate conclusion and keep your school open.”
The state Office of Higher Education has also included a list of approved barber and hairdressing schools on its website.
