AGO Secures $1M for Students in Agreement With Mildred Elley

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mildred Elley School will provide more than $1 million in relief to hundreds of former students in an agreement reached with the state Attorney General's Office. 
 
The New York State for-profit school, which has a campus in Pittsfield, is accused of using unfair recruitment and enrollment practices between 2015 and 2017. 
 
Some of these allegations related to placement rates for graduates, with the AGO finding that, for example, placement rates for clinical medical assistant and paralegals was "materially lower" than the school's reported rates of more than 70 percent.
 
The school also allegedly failed to make certain disclosures to consumers and prospective students at least 72 hours prior to entering into enrollment agreements and engaged in high-pressure sales tactics by contacting prospective students more than twice in a seven-day period.
 
"Our for-profit school regulations ensure that prospective students have the information they need to make informed decisions about their education and are protected from deceptive enrollment practices," said Attorney General Maura Healey in a statement announcing the settlement. "This settlement stops this school from using these tactics on students moving forward and secures relief for the harm done."
 
Mildred Elley has agreed to pay the AGO $600,000 to be distributed to students and to cancel outstanding student debts totaling $422,078. The AGO will determine the students to benefit from these actions. 
 
The agreement was made on Friday in Suffolk Superior Court and will discontinue state action against Empire Education Corp. The AGO said Mildred Elley cooperated with this investigation and both agree that this assurance of discontinuance does not acknowledge any wrongdoing on the part of Mildred Elley. 
 
The school on West Street offers certificates in business technology, clinical medical assisting, cosmetology, massage therapy, medical office assisting and practical nursing. These courses take about 15 months to complete. 
 
This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Lilia DuBois, Legal Analyst Amanda Hesse, and Paralegal Bridget Menkis of AG Healey's Insurance and Financial Services Division.
 

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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