Antonelli Medical & Professional Institute, the career school at 1700 Industrial Hwy. that temporarily closed a week ago when the federal Education Department ruled its students would no longer be eligible to receive financial aid, has won a reprieve and said Wednesday (Aug. 30, 2017) it anticipated re-opening for classes.
In a notice posted on the school’s website, its Executive Director Rick Reikob reported the department had “reversed (its) decision not to recertify” an Antonelli application that would allow its roughly 60 students to receive government-supported grants and loans to pay for their education. A copy of the department’s decision notice to school Chief Executive Officer Edward Gillespie also was available.
Informational meetings for its students about returning to classes are scheduled to be held tonight (Thursday, Aug. 31) at 6 p.m., and Friday morning (Sept. 1) at 10 a.m., Reikob said. He noted “it will take some time for us to recover” in terms of bring employees back, and preparing plans and materials for interrupted lessons. He did not specify date to resume course work.
The Education Department on Aug. 22 (Tuesday) initially announced its decision to rescind Antonelli’s ability to participate on behalf of its students in so-called Title IV financial aid programs. The decision was prompted, the department said, by a financial liability it claimed was attributed to another school owned by Gillespie.