A Letter to our Future Professionals Regarding Distance Education

Hello Paul Mitchell The School Costa Mesa Future Professionals,

Back in late March, when the school was required to close due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the school made the decision to continue offering education via Distance Education. I am not sure any of us anticipated how long the school would be closed for, but we all did our best to learn and adapt to the change. Cosmetology, Esthetics and Barbering education requires a combination of Theory and Practical (Hands On) instruction. As I am sure most of you have experienced, practical instruction can be challenging through a Distance Education environment. Due to this challenge, some Future Professionals have reached out concerned about graduating and not being as ready for a career as they feel they could be. As stated in the first sentence of our mission statement:

With this in mind, we felt the need to inform all students that Paul Mitchell the School Costa Mesa will provide continued practical training beyond graduation at no charge to any Future Professionals who request it up to the number of hours spent on practical training through distance learning. As an example, a Future Professional clocked 300 Total Hours through Distant Learning and 250 of those hours were for practical education. The same Future Professional would be given the opportunity to attend an additional 250 practical hours at the completion of their hours at no extra charge.

We continue to listen to valuable feedback from some of our Future Professionals concerning the Leave of Absence option for those Future Professionals who would like to pause their education. The concern is over the maximum number of days a Leave of Absence can be. The school policy, which must follow the US Department of Education policy, says the leave cannot exceed 180 days in a 12-month period. The 180 days do not have to be consecutive. As some Future Professionals have expressed the concern of using the Leave of Absence time now may prohibit use in the future when the school has reopened, a Future Professional may also elect to temporarily withdraw from the school. If a Future Professional elects the withdrawal option, the school will put a pause on hours and tuition expenses. There will also not be any financial penalties for dropping and re-enrolling. The school is happy to enter into a reenrollment agreement with any Future Professionals who elect to choose this option. Please visit with the school Financial Aid team with any questions.

We want to remind everyone that this continues to be the time for everyone to continue to behave responsibly in his or her hygiene, social distancing, and personal contact and travel. Please follow the guidelines as outlined by the CDC and the State of California. Our efforts can become one small step in helping to curb the spread of this virus.

We will all get through this. Thank you for your understanding.

–Paul Mitchell The School Costa Mesa Leadership Team