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Ohio Laws and Rules
Chapter 3332: CAREER COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
As used in this section and sections 3332.03 to 3332.99 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Agent" means any individual whose primary duties, performed while on or off school premises, include distribution of literature or information on behalf of a person offering a program, and the solicitation of prospective students in Ohio to enroll for a fee in a program.
(B) "Certificate of registration" means a certificate issued by the state board of career colleges and schools to the owner or operator of a for profit or nonprofit private career school located within or without the state of Ohio, that permits the school to solicit students and offer and maintain a program in Ohio.
(C) "Program" means a course of study, whether offered in a specific place, by correspondence using the mails, or by any other means of communication, designed to prepare students for potential employment in a recognized vocation, occupation, or profession at the certificate, diploma, or degree level.
(D) "Program authorization" means written notification by the board to a private career school granting approval for offering programs and awarding certificates, diplomas, or degrees.
(E) "Private career school" or "school" means a person possessing a certificate of registration and one or more program authorizations.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
This chapter does not apply to the following categories of courses, schools, or colleges:
(A) Tuition-free courses or schools conducted by employers exclusively for their own employees;
(B) Nonprofit institutions with certificates of authorization issued pursuant to section 1713.02 of the Revised Code or that are nonprofit institutions exempted from the requirement to obtain a certificate by division (E) of that section;
(C) Schools, colleges, technical colleges, or universities established by law or chartered by the Ohio board of regents;
(D) Courses of instruction required by law to be approved or licensed by a state board or agency other than the state board of career colleges and schools, except that a school so approved or licensed may apply to the state board of career colleges and schools for a certificate of registration to be issued in accordance with this chapter;
(E) Schools for which minimum standards are prescribed by the state board of education pursuant to division (D) of section 3301.07 of the Revised Code;
(F) Courses of instruction conducted by a public school district or a combination of public school districts;
(G) Courses of instruction conducted outside the United States;
(H) Private institutions exempt from regulation under this chapter as prescribed in section 3333.046 of the Revised Code;
(I) Training courses for employees paid for by their employers and conducted by outside service providers.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
There is hereby created the state board of career colleges and schools to consist of the state superintendent of public instruction or an assistant superintendent designated by the superintendent, the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents or a vice chancellor designated by the chancellor, and six members appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate. Members' terms of office shall be for five years, commencing on the twenty-first day of November and ending on the twentieth day of November. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Three of the members appointed by the governor shall have been engaged for a period of not less than five years immediately preceding appointment in an executive or managerial position in a private, trade, technical, or other school subject to this chapter. One member appointed by the governor shall be a representative of students and shall have graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree, within five years prior to appointment, from a school subject to this chapter. Two members appointed by the governor shall be representatives of the general public and shall have had no affiliation with, or direct or indirect interest in, schools subject to this chapter for at least two years prior to appointment. In selecting the representatives of the general public, the governor shall make an effort to find individuals with background or experience in the regulation of commerce, business, or education. The two members of the board who are representatives of the general public shall not be affiliated in any way with or have any direct or indirect interest in any schools subject to this chapter during their terms. Except for enrollment in a school subject to this chapter, the member representing students shall have had no affiliation in any way with, or have any direct or indirect interest in any school subject to this chapter for at least two years prior to appointment or during the member's term. Any vacancy shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointment. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of such term. Any appointed member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
Members of the board have full voting rights, except for the member representing students who shall be a nonvoting member. Each member of the board appointed by the governor shall be compensated at the rate established pursuant to division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, but shall not receive step advancements, for those days the member is engaged in the discharge of official duties. In addition, members appointed by the governor may be compensated for the expenses necessarily incurred in the attendance at meetings or in performing other services for the board. The chairperson of the board shall annually be elected or determined as follows:
(A) If both members of the board representing the general public have served on the board for at least one year, the members shall elect one of these two members as chairperson. If one of these members declines to be elected or serve, the other member representing the general public shall be chairperson. If both members representing the general public decline to be elected or serve, division (C) of this section shall apply.
(B) If only one member of the board representing the general public has served on the board for at least one year, this member shall be chairperson. If this member declines to serve, division (C) of this section shall apply.
(C) If neither member of the board representing the general public has served on the board for at least one year or if this division applies pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section, the members of the board shall elect a chairperson from among any of the voting members of the board who have served on the board for at least one year.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The state board of career colleges and schools shall:
(A) Adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities under this chapter;
(B) Establish minimum standards for the registration and operation of private career schools including but not necessarily limited to standards to ensure school financial stability;
(C) Issue certificates of registration to private career schools pursuant to division (A) of section 3332.05 of the Revised Code;
(D) Suspend or revoke the certificate of registration of schools pursuant to sections 3332.09 and 3332.091 of the Revised Code;
(E) Establish minimum standards for certificate, diploma, and degree programs offered by schools;
(F) Issue program authorization pursuant to divisions (B) and (C) of section 3332.05 of the Revised Code;
(G) Suspend or revoke program authorization for schools pursuant to sections 3332.09 and 3332.091 of the Revised Code;
(H) Establish minimum standards, including but not necessarily limited to a code of ethics, for agents employed by schools registered under this chapter to reasonably ensure that such agents provide adequate, ethical, and accurate information to prospective students;
(I) Grant permits to agents pursuant to sections 3332.10 and 3332.11 of the Revised Code;
(J) Suspend or revoke an agent's permit pursuant to section 3123.47 or 3332.12 of the Revised Code;
(K) Monitor recruitment and admissions practices of schools holding certificates of registration to ensure compliance with this chapter and the rules of the board;
(1) Adopt rules requiring all schools to provide all applicant students, prior to their signing enrollment agreements, written information concerning the school's graduation and placement rates for each of the preceding three years and any other information the board deems pertinent.
(2) Adopt rules requiring all schools to provide any student or applicant student, prior to the signing of any financial aid, grant, or loan application, written information concerning the obligations of a student obtaining such financial aid, grant, or loan.
(3) Upon request, a school shall furnish the board with a copy of all information required by this division. The board shall monitor schools to ensure their compliance with this division.
(M) Adopt a rule requiring all schools to include, in the enrollment agreement, notice that any problems the student is having with the school, or complaints the student has about the school, may be directed to the board, which notice shall include the telephone number of the executive director of the board;
(N) Report annually to the governor and the general assembly on the activities of the board and private career schools, and make legislative recommendations when necessary to enable the board to better serve the student population and the schools registered under this chapter;
(O) Adopt a rule requiring a uniform tuition refund policy for all schools subject to this chapter. In adopting the rule, the board shall consider the tuition refund policies effectuated by state-supported colleges and universities. Each school subject to this chapter shall furnish to each prospective student, prior to the signing of an enrollment agreement, a copy of the tuition refund policy.
(P) Adopt a rule establishing minimum standards for all faculty and instructional staff in all instructional programs at a school. In the case of full-time faculty members employed for degree programs, such standards shall include all of the following:
(1) A prohibition against employing on or after July 1, 1993, any new full-time faculty member to teach the general study portion of any degree program, unless the person holds a master's degree in the subject matter discipline or holds a master's degree in education with proficiency in the subject matter discipline demonstrated in accordance with the standards adopted by the board.
(2) Except as provided under the standards adopted pursuant to division (P)(3) of this section, a prohibition against employing or reemploying on or after July 1, 1998, any full-time faculty member to teach the general study portion of any degree program, unless the person holds a master's degree in the subject matter discipline or holds a master's degree in education with proficiency in the subject matter discipline demonstrated in accordance with the standards adopted by the board.
(3) Standards under which the board, upon written request submitted to the board prior to July 1, 1994, by any school, may exempt the school from the prohibition adopted pursuant to division (P)(2) of this section with regard to any individual full-time faculty member employed by the school who has demonstrated outstanding teaching performance in the general study portion of any degree program at the school for a period of at least six years prior to July 1, 1993.
(4) Definitions of "full-time faculty member," "new faculty member," and any other term the board considers necessary to define.
(Q) Adopt a rule prohibiting a school or branch campus thereof from claiming accreditation from an accrediting agency in any of its advertising, recruiting, or promotional materials unless the agency is recognized as an accrediting agency by the United States department of education.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The state board of career colleges and schools may appoint an executive director and such other staff as may be required for the performance of the board's duties and provide necessary facilities. In selecting an executive director, the board shall appoint an individual with a background or experience in the regulation of commerce, business, or education. The board may also arrange for services and facilities to be provided by the state board of education and the Ohio board of regents. All receipts of the board shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the occupational licensing and regulatory fund.
Effective Date: 09-26-2003.
(A) The state board of career colleges and schools shall issue a certificate of registration to an applicant of good reputation seeking to offer one or more programs upon receipt of the fee established in accordance with section 3332.07 of the Revised Code and upon determining the applicant has the facilities, resources, and faculty to provide students with the kind of instruction that it proposes to offer and meets the minimum standards of the board. A certificate of registration shall be granted or denied within one hundred twenty days of the receipt of the application therefor by the board. A person shall obtain a separate certificate for each location at which the person offers programs. The first certificate of registration issued on or after June 29, 1999, for each new location is valid for one year, unless earlier revoked for cause by the board under section 3332.09 of the Revised Code. Any other certificate of registration is valid for two years, unless earlier revoked for cause by the board under that section.
(B) The board shall issue program authorization for an associate degree, certificate, or diploma program to an applicant holding a certificate of registration issued pursuant to division (A) of this section upon receipt of the fee established in accordance with section 3332.07 of the Revised Code and upon determining the applicant has the facilities, resources, and faculty to provide students the kind of program it proposes to offer and meets the minimum standards of the state board. Any program authorization issued by the board under this division is valid only for the specified program at the location for which it is issued and does not cover any other program offered at the school or at other schools operated by the owner. Program authorization is valid for the period of time specified by the board, unless earlier suspended or revoked for cause by the board under section 3332.09 of the Revised Code.
(1) The state board shall accept and review applications for program authorization for baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degree programs only from the following:
(a) Any school holding a certificate of registration issued by the board that has held such certificate for the ten previous consecutive years;
(b) Any school holding a certificate of registration issued by the board that also holds an equivalent certificate issued by another state and has held the equivalent certificate for the ten previous consecutive years.
(2) After review the board shall refer any application it finds valid to the Ohio board of regents for approval. The board of regents shall review, and approve or disapprove, such degree programs and if so approved, issue certificates of authorization to such schools to offer such degree programs pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code. The board of regents shall notify the state board of career colleges and schools of each school registered with the state board that receives a certificate of authorization and the approval to offer any degree program. Upon receipt of such notification and the fee established in accordance with section 3332.07 of the Revised Code, the state board shall review, and may issue program authorization to offer, such a degree program. Any program authorization issued by the board under this division is valid only for the specified program at the location for which it is issued and does not cover any other program offered at the school or at other schools operated by the owner. Program authorization is valid for the period of time specified by the board, unless earlier suspended or revoked for cause by the board under section 3332.09 of the Revised Code. The state board shall not issue such program authorization unless the degree program has been approved by the board of regents.
(D) The board may cause an investigation to be made into the correctness of the information submitted in any application received under this section. If the board believes that false, misleading, or incomplete information has been submitted to it in connection with any application, the board shall conduct a hearing on the matter pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, and may withhold a certificate of registration or program authorization upon finding that the applicant has failed to meet the standards for such certificate or program authorization or has submitted false, misleading, or incomplete information to the board. Application for a certificate of registration or program authorization shall be made in writing to the board on forms furnished by the board. A certificate of registration or program authorization is not transferable and shall be prominently displayed on the premises of an institution. The board shall assign registration numbers to all schools registered with it. Schools shall display their registration numbers on all school publications and on all advertisements bearing the name of the school. Notwithstanding the requirements of this section for issuance of certificates of registration and program authorization, the board may, in accordance with rules adopted by it, grant certificates of registration and program authorization to schools, colleges, institutes, or universities that have been approved by the state department of education pursuant to the "Act of March 3, 1966," 80 Stat. 20, 38 U.S.C.A. 1771.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The state board of career colleges and schools shall direct that a written survey be obtained by schools subject to this chapter, which shall be used to solicit comments from students enrolled at such schools. The board shall establish the guidelines for the survey by rule. The survey shall be designed to determine student satisfaction with the quality of instruction, facilities, school personnel, and business operations, including recruitment and recruitment agents. The board shall adopt rules for the administration of surveys and shall include provisions to ensure student anonymity. Surveys shall be administered prior to the end of each school year. Completed surveys shall be collected by the holder of the certificate of registration or the director or administrator of the school and shall be compiled by the school. Each school shall retain the surveys and the compiled results on file for at least three years and shall make them available to the state board for examination upon request. The holder of a certificate of registration shall be responsible for ensuring that completed surveys are in no way altered.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
(1) No program shall be established, offered, or given for a charge, fee, or other contribution; no certificate, diploma, degree, or other written evidence of proficiency or achievement shall be offered whether in a specified place, by correspondence, or any other means of communication, or awarded; and no student enrollment in such program shall be solicited through advertising, agents, mail circulars, or other means, until the person planning to offer or offering such program, certificate, diploma, or degree has obtained a certificate of registration and appropriate program authorization in accordance with section 3332.05 of the Revised Code. No school shall offer a baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree program unless it has received a certificate of authorization from the Ohio board of regents and program authorization from the state board of career colleges and schools.
(2) No institution receiving a certificate of registration after July 28, 1989, shall call itself a "university" unless it meets all of the following conditions:
(a) It also holds an equivalent certificate issued by another state;
(b) It calls itself a "university" in that other state, as permitted under the terms of the other state's certificate;
(c) It has been issued degree program authorization under division (C) of section 3332.05 of the Revised Code.
(B) The board shall petition the court of common pleas of the county in which a person or agent, as defined in section 3332.01 of the Revised Code, offers one or more programs subject to this chapter or advertises for the offering of such programs without a certificate of registration and program authorization, for an order enjoining such offering or advertising. The court may grant such injunctive relief upon a showing that the respondent named in the petition is offering or advertising one or more programs without a certificate of registration and program authorization.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
(A) Each application for issuance and renewal of a certificate of registration, for the issuance and renewal of program authorization, for issuance and renewal of agent's permits, and for any other service specified by the state board of career colleges and schools shall be accompanied by the required fee. Fees submitted under this section are not returnable even if approval or renewal is denied.
(B) Fee schedules for the issuance and renewal of certificates of registration, for the issuance and renewal of program authorization, for issuance and renewal of agent's permits, and for any other service specified by the board shall be established by rule adopted by the state board. The fee for a one-year certificate of registration shall be one-half the fee for a two-year certificate.
(C) If in any fiscal year the amount received in fees under this section does not equal or exceed fifty per cent of board expenditures for the fiscal year, the board shall increase fees for the ensuing fiscal year by an amount estimated to be sufficient to produce revenues equal to fifty per cent of estimated expenditures for that ensuing fiscal year.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
Effective Date: 07-28-1989.
The application for a certificate of registration for a school located within Ohio shall be accompanied by a surety bond in a penal sum established by rule of the state board of career colleges and schools pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code with conditions and in a form prescribed by the board with at least one corporate bonding company approved by the department of insurance as surety thereon. Bond shall be maintained in effect for a period specified by rule of the board. The board may permit a school to cancel its bond if the school has been approved to participate in any federal student financial assistance program authorized under Title IV of the "Higher Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C.A. 1070 et seq., as amended, or if the school meets standards of financial responsibility otherwise established by the board. The bond shall provide for the indemnification of any person suffering prepaid tuition loss as the result of a school closure in accordance with section 3332.082 of the Revised Code. The liability of the surety on such bond for the school covered shall not exceed the sum of the bond as an aggregate for all students for all breaches of the conditions of the bond by the school. The term of the bond shall be continuous, but it shall be subject to cancellation by the surety in the manner described in this section. The bond shall provide blanket coverage for the acts of all persons engaged as agents of the school without naming them and without regard to the time they are engaged during the term of the bond. The surety may terminate the bond upon giving a sixty-day written notice to the principal and to the state board of career colleges and schools, but the liability of the surety for acts of the principal and its agents continues during the sixty days of cancellation notice. The notice does not absolve the surety from liability which accrues before the cancellation becomes final but which is discovered after that date and which may have arisen at any time during the term of the bond. Unless the bond is replaced by that of another surety before the expiration of the sixty days notice of cancellation, the certificate of registration shall be suspended. Any person subject to this section required to file a bond with an application for a certificate of registration may file, in lieu thereof, cash, a certificate of deposit, letter of credit, or government bonds in the amount established by the board. The deposit is subject to the same terms and conditions as are provided for in the surety bond required herein. Any interest or earnings on such deposits are payable to the depositor.
Effective Date: 07-01-2003.
The student tuition recovery authority is created as a body corporate and politic of this state. The purpose of the authority is to protect students of any school registered by the state board of career colleges and schools from prepaid tuition loss for the academic term due to a school closure. The authority shall consist of five members as follows: the executive director of the state board of career colleges and schools, the executive director of the Ohio association of career colleges and schools, the treasurer of state or the treasurer of state's designee, the chairperson of the senate committee that primarily deals with education, and the chairperson of the committee of the house of representatives that primarily deals with education. The chairpersons of the legislative committees that primarily deal with education shall be nonvoting ex officio members. Each voting member of the authority, before entering upon the member's official duties, shall take an oath as provided by Section 7 of Article XV, Ohio Constitution. The authority shall elect one of its voting members as chairperson and another as vice-chairperson, and shall appoint a secretary-treasurer who need not be a member of the authority. All meetings of the authority shall be public. All final actions of the authority shall be journalized and such journal and the records of the authority shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The state board of career colleges and schools may pursue any lawful means of assuring that students of any school registered by the state board do not suffer prepaid tuition loss as a result of the closure of a school. This may include lawsuits against a school or any individual who may reasonably have liability as a result of the default, in which the attorney general shall advise and represent the board. Any student seeking reimbursement for a prepaid tuition loss shall submit a claim for reimbursement to the board not later than one year following the school's closure. Any reimbursement for a prepaid tuition loss or advance against a possible prepaid tuition loss of a student, and any expenses reasonably incurred by the board in its pursuit of any remedy, shall be paid by the surety on the bond provided by the school pursuant to section 3332.08 of the Revised Code. If proceeds from the surety bond are not sufficient to cover such payments, any additional payments shall be paid from the student tuition recovery fund created by section 3332.083 of the Revised Code. Tuition loss does not include moneys held by a school in escrow accounts for tuition or fees for future terms, as uncommitted grants, loans, or Pell grant money. If the fund is not of sufficient size to pay the students the full amount of their prepaid fee, the student tuition recovery authority shall determine the percentage of the amount that will be paid. Any money recovered from the defaulting school, or any individual with liability for the default or from the surety under a bond provided under section 3332.08 of the Revised Code in excess of any payments made under this section shall be deposited into the fund.
Effective Date: 07-01-2003.
The student tuition recovery fund is created in the custody of the treasurer of state, but not as a part of the state treasury. All revenues received from payments received under section 3332.085 of the Revised Code from schools registered by the state board of career colleges and schools and any other sources shall be deposited into the fund. The treasurer of state shall invest any portion of the fund not needed for immediate use in the same manner as in the investment of state funds. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund. The treasurer of state shall disburse money from the fund on order of the chairperson of the student tuition recovery authority or the chairperson's designee. All moneys and other assets acquired by the authority shall be held in trust to carry out its powers and duties and shall be used and reused to provide for the services described in this chapter.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The student tuition recovery authority may:
(A) Adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
(B) Maintain a principal office at such place within the state as is designated by the authority;
(C) Direct moneys to be paid by the surety on the bond required by section 3332.08 of the Revised Code and distribute moneys from the student tuition recovery fund to or on behalf of students who are determined eligible by the authority;
(D) Reduce contributions to or utilize excess money in the fund, as provided in division (C) of section 3332.085 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 07-01-2003.
(A) Not later than the thirty-first day of August in each year, each school registered by the state board of career colleges and schools shall pay into the student tuition recovery fund in the following amounts:
(1) Schools initially registered or sold on or after July 28, 1989, for the first five payments $500;
(2) Any other school, according to its prior year's tuition receipts: Up to $400,000 $ 200
$400,001 to $700,000 400
$700,001 to $1,000,000 800 Over $1,000,000 1,000 Checks shall be made payable to the student tuition recovery fund and sent to the executive director of the state board, who shall promptly forward all such receipts to the treasurer of state. Failure of a school to make a payment is cause for cancellation of its certificate of registration.
(B) The student tuition recovery authority may impose a special assessment on the schools in an amount up to the amount of an annual contribution if the draw on the money exceeds the money on hand.
(C) Once the fund has assets in excess of liabilities of approximately one million dollars, the authority may:
(1) Reduce or eliminate the annual contributions, except on institutions that are required to contribute to the fund for at least a five-year period. The reduction in contributions to the fund will be at the discretion of the authority but they will be guided by the objective to maintain assets in excess of liabilities of approximately one million dollars.
(2) Utilize moneys in excess of the assets required to be maintained in the fund by division (C)(1) of this section for the purposes of disseminating consumer information about private career schools and maintaining student records from closed schools.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
The state board of career colleges and schools may limit, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a certificate of registration or program authorization or may impose a penalty pursuant to section 3332.091 of the Revised Code for any one or combination of the following causes:
(A) Violation of any provision of sections 3332.01 to 3332.09 of the Revised Code, the board's minimum standards, or any rule made by the board;
(B) Furnishing of false, misleading, deceptive, altered, or incomplete information or documents to the board;
(C) The signing of an application or the holding of a certificate of registration by a person who has pleaded guilty or has been found guilty of a felony or has pleaded guilty or been found guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude;
(D) The signing of an application or the holding of a certificate of registration by a person who is addicted to the use of any controlled substance, or who is found to be mentally incompetent;
(E) Violation of any commitment made in an application for a certificate of registration or program authorization;
(F) Presenting to prospective students, either at the time of solicitation or enrollment, or through advertising, mail circulars, or phone solicitation, misleading, deceptive, false, or fraudulent information relating to any program, employment opportunity, or opportunities for enrollment in accredited institutions of higher education after entering or completing programs offered by the holder of a certificate of registration;
(G) Failure to provide or maintain premises or equipment for offering programs in a safe and sanitary condition;
(H) Refusal by an agent to display the agent's permit upon demand of a prospective student or other interested person;
(I) Failure to maintain financial resources adequate for the satisfactory conduct of programs as presented in the plan of operation or to retain a sufficient number and qualified staff of instruction, except that nothing in this chapter requires an instructor to be licensed by the state board of education or to hold any type of post-high school degree;
(J) Offering training or programs other than those presented in the application, except that schools may offer special courses adapted to the needs of individual students when the special courses are in the subject field specified in the application;
(K) Discrimination in the acceptance of students upon the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
(L) Accepting the services of an agent not holding a valid permit issued under section 3332.10 or 3332.11 of the Revised Code;
(M) The use of monetary or other valuable consideration by the school's agents or representatives to induce prospective students to enroll in the school, or the practice of awarding monetary or other valuable considerations without board approval to students in exchange for procuring the enrollment of others;
(N) Failure to provide at the request of the board, any information, records, or files pertaining to the operation of the school or recruitment and enrollment of students. If the board modifies or adopts additional minimum standards or rules pursuant to section 3332.031 of the Revised Code, all schools and agents shall have sixty days from the effective date of the modifications or additional standards or rules to comply with such modifications or additions.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
(1) Any person adversely affected by the actions of a certificate holder may file a complaint with the state board of career colleges and schools alleging that any school registered with the board has violated any provision of section 3332.09 of the Revised Code. The complaint shall be in writing and signed by the complainant and shall be filed with the board within six months after the violations allegedly were committed. Upon receiving a complaint, the board shall initiate a preliminary investigation to determine whether it is probable that violations were committed. If the board determines after preliminary investigation that it is not probable that any violations were committed, it shall notify the person who filed the complaint that it has so determined and that it will not issue a formal complaint in the matter. If the board determines after a preliminary investigation that it is probable that violations were committed, it may issue a formal complaint under division (A)(2) of this section or it may endeavor to eliminate such practices by informal methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion. Nothing said or done during these endeavors shall be disclosed by any member of the board or its staff or be used as evidence in any subsequent proceedings. If, after such investigation and conference, the board is satisfied that such violations will be eliminated, it may treat the complaint as conciliated, and entry of such disposition shall be made in the records of the board.
(2) If as a result of any informal methods utilized under division (A)(1) of this section, the board fails to effect the elimination of violations or fails to obtain voluntary compliance with this chapter, the board shall issue a formal complaint to the holder of a certificate of registration of the school under investigation. The formal complaint shall state the charges against the school and grant the certificate holder the opportunity to appear before the board at a public hearing pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The board shall hold the public hearing not sooner than thirty days after issuance of the formal complaint. Any formal complaint issued pursuant to this section must be issued within one year after the state board's receipt of a complaint from a person adversely affected by the actions of a certificate holder. If at the time of issuing a formal complaint, the board has reasonable cause to believe that the violations that are the subject of the complaint will continue and constitute an immediate threat to the welfare of current and prospective students, the board, for a period not to exceed the lesser of ninety days or the period of time until a final adjudication order dismissing the complaint or imposing a penalty is issued under this section, may:
(a) Issue an order prohibiting the school's agents from personally contacting students;
(b) Issue an order prohibiting the school from using any advertising, recruiting, or promotional materials unless such materials have been approved by the board. The board must approve or disapprove any materials submitted to it under such an order within thirty days of their receipt.
(c) Issue an order prohibiting the operation of a school. If, after a public hearing, the board determines that the holder of a certificate of registration has violated any provision of section 3332.09 of the Revised Code, the board shall issue a final adjudication order levying a civil penalty pursuant to division (B) of this section or limiting, suspending, or revoking the certificate of registration or program authorization or any combination thereof. The board may impose additional penalties including but not necessarily limited to curtailment of advertising, and discontinuation of enrollment of students in specific programs. Upon suspension or revocation, the board immediately shall also issue an order pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code requiring such person immediately to cease all sales, advertising, and enrollment activities.
(B) Pursuant to division (A) of this section, the board may impose a civil penalty of not less than one thousand nor more than three thousand five hundred dollars for each violation of section 3332.09 of the Revised Code, but not to exceed an aggregate penalty of thirty-five thousand dollars in any six-month period.
(C) The board shall prepare an annual report that documents the disposition of all complaints, their status, board action, and the elapsed time from the initial filing of the complaint until final resolution. The report shall be made available to anyone upon request.
(D) The board may, upon its own initiative and independent of the filing of any complaints, conduct a preliminary investigation relating to any possible violations of section 3332.09 of the Revised Code. At any time while a school is in session, the board or its designee may conduct on-site inspections and reviews of a school and its courses of instruction. The board shall conduct such visits and reviews, including visits without prior notice to the schools, as necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter. All books, records, and files of a school shall be open for inspection by the board, its designees, or staff during on-site inspections, or whenever requested by the board for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the provisions of this chapter. For the purpose of conducting any investigation, inspection, or review, the board may administer oaths, take the testimony of any person under oath, issue subpoenas, compel the attendance of witnesses, or require the production for examination of any books and papers relating to any matter under investigation or in question before the board.
(E) During the course of any investigation under division (A) or (D) of this section, the board shall refer all possible violations of Chapter 1345. of the Revised Code to the attorney general.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
Any school subject to this chapter receiving money under section 3333.12 or 3333.122 of the Revised Code on behalf of a student who is determined by the state board of career colleges and schools to be ineligible under such section because the program in which the student is enrolled does not lead to an associate or baccalaureate degree, shall be liable to the state for the amount specified in section 3333.12 or 3333.122 of the Revised Code. The state board of career colleges and schools shall suspend the certificate of registration of a school receiving money under section 3333.12 or 3333.122 of the Revised Code for such ineligible student until such time as the money is repaid to the Ohio board of regents.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003; 09-29-2005.
(A) No individual shall sell any program or solicit students therefor in this state unless the individual is an employee of the school. Any individual whose primary duty, whether on or off school premises, is to solicit prospective students shall first secure a permit as an agent from the state board of career colleges and schools. If the agent represents more than one school, a separate permit shall be obtained for each school represented by the agent. An agent who represents a person that operates more than one school in the same geographical area, as determined by the board, need not obtain a separate permit for each such school. Upon approval for a permit, the board shall issue a pocket card to the individual, giving the individual's name, address, permit number, and the name and address of the employing school, and certifying that the individual whose name appears on the card is an authorized agent of the school.
(B) The application for a permit shall be made on forms to be furnished by the board and accompanied by the fee established in accordance with section 3332.07 of the Revised Code. A permit shall be granted for a period not to exceed twenty-four months and shall be valid for up to thirty days after its expiration date. An application for a renewal permit shall be accompanied by the fee established in accordance with section 3332.07 of the Revised Code.
(C) Each school subject to this chapter shall assume full responsibility for the actions, statements, and conduct of its agents, and shall provide them with adequate training and arrange for proper supervision of their work. The board shall hold schools liable for the actions, statements, and conduct of agents that violate any provision of this chapter, unless an agent's acts or omissions were manifestly outside the scope of the agent's employment or official responsibilities.
Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003 .
Any agent's permit applied for pursuant to section 3332.10 of the Revised Code shall be granted or denied within thirty days of the receipt of the application by the state board of career colleges and schools. If the board has not completed its determination with respect to the issuance of a permit within such thirty-day period, it shall issue a temporary permit to the applicant, which permit is sufficient to meet the requirements of section 3332.10 of the Revised Code until such time as such determination is made. No permit shall be issued to any person found by the board not to be of good moral character.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
Any agent's permit issued may be suspended or revoked by the state board of career colleges and schools if the holder of the permit solicits or enrolls students through fraud, deception, or misrepresentation, upon a finding that the permit holder has violated any provision enumerated in division (A), (B), (F), (H), (J), (K), or (M) of section 3332.09 of the Revised Code, or upon finding that the permit holder is not of good moral character. Upon receipt of any written complaint from any person, the board shall conduct a preliminary investigation. If after such investigation or if as a result of any investigation conducted under division (A) or (D) of section 3332.091 of the Revised Code, the board determines it is probable violations were committed, the board shall hold informal conferences in the same manner as provided in section 3332.091 of the Revised Code with an agent believed to be in violation of one or more of the above conditions. If after sixty days these conferences fail to eliminate the agent's objectionable practices or procedures, the board shall issue a formal complaint to the agent and the school that employs the agent. The formal complaint shall state the charges against the agent and the holder of the certificate of registration of the school and shall require them to appear before the board at a public hearing pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. If, after the public hearing, the board determines that an agent has violated one or more of the provisions described above, the board shall suspend or revoke the agent's permit. If after such hearing the board also determines that the school at which the agent was employed was negligent in its supervision of the agent or encouraged or caused the commission of the violations, the board shall levy penalties against such school in accordance with division (A) of section 3332.091 of the Revised Code. Nothing said or done in the informal conferences shall be disclosed by the board or any member of its staff nor be used as evidence in any subsequent proceedings.
Effective Date: 2002 SB266 04-03-2003.
The fact that a bond is in force pursuant to section 3332.08 of the Revised Code does not limit nor impair any right of recovery otherwise available pursuant to law, nor is the amount of such bond relevant in determining the amount of damages or other relief to which any plaintiff may be entitled.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
No recovery shall be had on any contract for or in connection with a program by any person selling or administering such program if the agent of such person was not the holder of an agent's permit as required by section 3332.10 of the Revised Code at the time he negotiated the contract for or sold the program.
Effective Date: 07-28-1989.
The issuance of a permit pursuant to sections 3332.10 and 3332.11 of the Revised Code does not constitute approval of any program or the person offering, conducting, or otherwise administering the program, unless such person holds the certificate of registration and appropriate program authorization required by section 3332.05 of the Revised Code. Any representation contrary to this section or tending to imply that a permit issued pursuant to sections 3332.10 and 3332.11 of the Revised Code constitutes such approval is misrepresentation within the meaning of this chapter.
Effective Date: 07-28-1989.
Consumer transactions entered into with schools subject to this chapter are subject to Chapter 1345. of the Revised Code. As used in this section, "consumer transaction" has the same meaning as in section 1345.01 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 04-16-1993.
Effective Date: 07-28-1989.
On receipt of a notice pursuant to section 3123.43 of the Revised Code, the state board of career colleges and schools shall comply with sections 3123.41 to 3123.50 of the Revised Code and any applicable rules adopted under section 3123.63 of the Revised Code with respect to a permit issued pursuant to this chapter.
Effective Date: 04-03-2003.
As used in this section, "active duty" means full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including full-time training duty, annual training duty, and active state duty for members of the national guard.
(A) Each institution that holds a certificate of registration from the state board of career colleges and schools under this chapter shall grant a student a military leave of absence from the institution while the student is serving on active duty, and for one year after the conclusion of that service, if the student is a member of the United States national guard or other reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, or a member of those armed forces in a retired status, and is called to active duty. The student shall not suffer an academic penalty as a result of the leave of absence.
(B) If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the institution in which the student is enrolled shall do either of the following, as elected by the student:
(1) Credit tuition and fee charges toward a subsequent academic term in an amount that is one hundred per cent of what the student paid the institution for the academic term in which the student withdraws;
(2) Refund tuition and fees paid for the academic term, provided the student withdraws before the withdraw date established by the institution. The refund shall equal one hundred per cent of the tuition and fee charges the student paid the institution for the academic term. If the student withdraws after the withdraw date established by the institution, the student is ineligible for a refund of tuition and fee charges. For the purposes of this section, the "withdraw date" shall be the same as the date set by the institution for its general student population to withdraw from the institution or a course or class without academic penalty.
(C) If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the institution shall restore the student to the educational status the student had attained prior to being called to active duty without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid prior to the commencement of active duty, except as provided in division (B) of this section.
(D) If an institution fails to comply with this section, the student may bring an action against the institution to enforce its provisions in the court of common pleas of the county in which the student resides. If the student resides outside of this state, the action shall be brought in the court of common pleas of the county in which the campus of the institution previously attended by the student is located. The court may award reasonable attorney's fees and expenses if the student prevails in the action.
Effective Date: 05-18-2005.
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "On-campus student housing" means a dormitory or other student residence that is owned or operated by or located on the campus of a school subject to this chapter.
(2) "Parent" means either parent, except that if one parent has sole custody, "parent" means the parent with custody. "Parent" also includes a guardian or, in the absence of a parent or guardian, another person who has accepted responsibility for the care of the student.
(B) Beginning with the academic year that commences on or after July 1, 2005, a school subject to this chapter shall not permit a student to reside in on-campus student housing unless the student, or, if the student is younger than eighteen years of age, the student's parent, discloses to the school whether the student has been vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B by submitting to the school the meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination status statement described in division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code or a meningitis status statement form provided by the school that meets the requirements of division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code. The statement may be submitted in written form or, if the school has a secure web site, in electronic form.
(C) On receipt of an application for residence in on-campus student housing, a school subject to this chapter shall do both of the following:
(1) Inform the student of the disclosure requirement;
(2) Provide the student in either written or, if the school has a secure web site, electronic form the meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination status statement described in division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code or a meningitis status statement form provided by the school that meets the requirements of division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code.
(D) This section does not require a school to provide or pay for a meningococcal meningitis or hepatitis B vaccination for any student.
Effective Date: 07-14-2004.
Whoever violates division (A) of section 3332.06 or division (A) of section 3332.10 of the Revised Code shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than ninety days, or both.
Effective Date: 11-21-1969.