LUDLOW – A cosmetology school will pay $160,000 to students after settling a claim that it misrepresented its educational program and it violated the state’s regulations governing for-profit schools.
Jolie Hair and Beauty Academy, located at 44 Sewall St., signed an assurance of discontinuance in Suffolk Superior Court on Monday that settled claims filed by Attorney General Maura Healey accusing the school of misrepresentation and discrimination of students.
Under the agreement, the school neither admitted nor denied the allegations, court documents said.
The school will spend a total of $160,000 to reimburse students who enrolled between March 2016 and March 2018 in the school. The Attorney General’s office will receive $94,000 to provide relief to students it deems eligible and will discharge about $70,000 in debts that certain students owe to Jolie, according to the Attorney General’s office.
“These students will be identified in the discretion of the (Attorney General’s Office), but are limited to the following groups of students: (i)Certain students of the School who enrolled between March 2016 and March 2018 in the cosmetology program and withdrew or were academically dismissed as of the date this (agreement) is filed; and (ii) certain students of the school who enrolled between March 2016 and March 4, 2018 in the cosmetology, aesthetics, and manicuring programs, withdrew within the first 25 percent of their program, and remained withdrawn,” the agreement said.
Jolie Hair and Beauty Academy, which also has locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was accused of advertising to potential students that its programs would cover topics such as depilation, waxing, eyebrow and eyelash tinting, but it provided limited training on the topics, Healey’s office said.
Tuition to the school is about $9,700 annually.
It is also accused of violating state requirements because it failed to released graduation rates to potential students and is accused of discriminating against students.
“Specifically, the (Attorney General) alleges that school faculty of Jolie made discriminatory statements to certain students about those students’ actual or perceived race, religion and national origins,” the agreement said.
The school will be required to either retain qualified staff that can teach the subjects or must stop advertising that it offers the training. In addition, all employees must undergo anti-discrimination training, the agreement said.
“Students deserve vocational training that is high quality and respectful of all students,” Healey said. “This settlement will provide many Jolie students with the relief that they need.”
Anyone who may have been a student and wants information about the reimbursements or settlement can contact the Attorney General’s office at 888-830-6277 or online at mass.gov/agt/studentloans.gov