Family & Community Alternative Education
Massachusetts Proprietary Schools

Connecticut School of Broadcasting, Inc.
Bulletin #3

On June 12, 2009 the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) revoked the private trade school license of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting (CSB). Students who paid the school for coursework that they did not receive, may be eligible to file a Claim for Restitution with the Department against the school's surety bond and file a Proof of Claim with the bankruptcy court. If you are receiving this notice by mail, you have been identified by the school as an individual who may be eligible to file a claim with the Department and the bankruptcy court.

Please use the following steps, after employing the options outlined in Bulletin #1.

1. If you paid by credit card, contact your credit card company immediately in writing. Please see the Federal Trade Commission's website at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre16.shtm for specific instructions and a sample letter for your convenience. It would be wise to also include with your letter a copy of your enrollment agreement, also known as a personal service contract, as evidence of the contract between you and the school; and, a copy of this bulletin as verification of the school's closure and subsequent breach of contract.

   If the credit card company denies your claim and does not discharge the amount(s) it paid on your behalf to the school, then you may file a claim with both the bankruptcy court and the Department. Please include a copy of the credit card company's letter denying your claim with each of the applications below.

2. A copy of the Proof of Claim form and corresponding instructions is attached Please complete the form in ink (with your original signature) and mail it along with any attachments to the bankruptcy court. Please keep a copy of all documents for your records.

   The deadline for filing a Proof of Claim with the bankruptcy court is Wednesday, July 8, 2009.

3. To file a Claim for Restitution with the Department, please download the documents listed below from our website http://www.doe.mass.edu/ops/students/restitution_claim.html. All claim forms must be completed and signed in ink and the original signatures provided to the Department. Please keep a copy of all documents for your records.

   1. Claim Procedures;
   2. Claim Checklist;
   3. Claim for Restitution Form;
   4. Claim Worksheet;
   5. W - 9 Taxpayer Identification Form; and,
   6. Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Form.

   The deadline for filing a Claim for Restitution with the Department is Friday, July 24, 2009.

Once the Department has finalized its review of all Claims for Restitution, we will work with the surety company to obtain refunds on students' behalf. The Department will report to the bankruptcy court the amount of the refund each student receives and the bankruptcy court will deduct the amount of such refund from each student's claim.

The Department will contact claimants via mail or email if it needs any additional information. Claimants may track the progress of their school's claims by viewing the updated bulletins available on our website at Claim Status Chart. Please note that the information will be updated when, and only when, there is new information available. If there is no new information for a period of time, this simply means that that stage of the claims process is not yet complete.

The Department greatly appreciates your help in keeping the volume of phone calls we receive to a minimum by checking these bulletins. If you have questions, please email us at proprietaryschools@doe.mass.edu We thank you for your patience in this matter.