Letter to the Hon. Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education - Protect Students Affected by Abrupt Closure of McNally Smith College of Music

Letter

Dear Secretary DeVos,

I write to raise my concerns about the impact that the abrupt closure of McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota will have on current and former students of the school.

On December 14, McNally Smith College of Music notified students and faculty that it would close at the end of the fall semester on December 20. The school has stated that it can no longer make payroll in light of declining enrollment and revenue. In the aftermath of this sudden closure, many of McNally Smith's approximately 600 students do not have a clear path forward. I urge the Department to protect current and former students of McNally Smith by providing closed school loan discharge relief to eligible students.

As you know, the Department of Education has the legal authority to discharge federal student loans for current McNally Smith students who do not transfer their credits to another institution and students who have withdrawn from the school in the last 120 days. These students may be eligible for a 100 percent discharge of their Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program Loans, or Federal Perkins Loans.

I ask that the Department immediately begin identifying and contacting students who are eligible for closed school loan discharge. The Department should clearly state the criteria for closed school discharge during the outreach process and notify students that those who transfer academic credits to a comparable educational program at another school may be ineligible for loan relief.

I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to hearing the exact actions that the Department will take to protect McNally Smith students.

Sincerely,

Source