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Beauty school abruptly closes doors, students left wondering what's next

3 years 9 months 2 weeks ago Tuesday, June 09 2020 Jun 9, 2020 June 09, 2020 6:45 PM June 09, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - A beauty school has suddenly closed its doors, blaming the coronavirus, and students are left wondering what's next.

Students say D’Jay’s Institute of Cosmetology and Esthiology school off of Sharp Lane in Baton Rouge was supposed to reopen when the stay-at-home order was lifted. Instead, they received word that it was permanently closing.

Chrystal Cavalier contacted WBRZ after she learned the school closed. She started the esthiology program in October 2019 and was planning to receive her certifications in July.

"Everyone was shocked, because we were under the impression that we would be going back," Cavalier said.

At the start of the stay-at-home order, students had been using an app to take their classes online, but Cavalier says that stopped in April. It wasn't until the first week of June that she received notice the school was closed and not reopening.

A letter posted to the school's window and online, says the school is closing as of June 1, 2020, due to "the conditions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed." In the letter, it also says the school feels it will not be able to provide the level of education it's known for.

"We've all been trying to reach out to them because D'Jay's is more expensive compared to other schools, because they offer certifications that other schools don't. So the tuition is $14,000," Cavalier said. "I emailed them because I was like, 'okay, I'd like the money back for certifications that I did not receive.'"

So far, Cavalier says she hasn't heard back from D'Jay's.

The Louisiana Board of Cosmetology says it received a fax from the school last week, letting them know it closed. The board says when a school closes it has to make sure students can transfer to another school close by, with not a lot of cost involved so they can finish their courses.

"As far as the certifications, I feel like everyone should be reimbursed for that,"  Cavalier said.

The board says it's looking into whether the school is issuing refunds to the students, which is something that's generally done before a school closes. The board says it will be communicating with the students of D'Jay's.

"The board will make sure the students are treated correctly, and we're going to do everything in our power to see that that happens,"  Executive Director of the Board of Cosmetology Steve Young said.

Tuesday, WBRZ reached out to D'Jay's Institute of Cosmetology and Esthiology and did not hear back.

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