May 31, 2012 Media Contact: Jenn Meale Phone: (850) 245-0150

en Español

Print Version

Tweet

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has obtained a temporary injunction against a nursing school that lost its accreditation, which made students ineligible for federal financial aid, and then prohibited graduates who owed money that had been covered by financial aid from taking the examination to be licensed as a practical nurse. Health Opportunity Technical Center, Inc. is a South Florida school with practical nursing students in Miami. Thanks to the terms of the injunction obtained by the Attorney General’s Office, HOTC will now release student transcripts and allow graduates to take the licensing examinations after paying any previously agreed upon out-of-pocket payment, which was approximately $2,000 per student.

“Students’ career paths should not be halted due to a school’s unjustifiable prohibition of students taking necessary professional licensure exams,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Students who enrolled in the nursing program were charged more than $20,000 for the nursing program. Many students financed this cost through federal financial aid programs, including grants and loans, and were only required to pay about $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. When the school lost its accreditation, students no longer qualified for federal financial aid. HOTC had prohibited students from taking license examinations to become practical nurses until they paid the remaining amount due on their tuition bills, which should have been covered by federal financial aid.

To view the order, please click here: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JMEE-8UTKMF/$file/HOTC+May+2012.pdf