Education

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued a consumer alert to Californians based on an increased number of complaints regarding student loan debt consolidation scams received by the Attorney General’s Public Inquiry Unit. Often times purporting to offer “student debt management” or “student loan consolidation” plans, private companies are charging borrowers upfront or monthly fees for FREE federal loan benefits. These companies may claim that they have a special relationship with the Department of Education or that a special governmental loan consolidation will be ending soon and will urge students to use their services in obtaining student loan consolidation or relief. Many times these companies will charge an initial application fee as well as a monthly service fee. 

Consolidating federal student loans is FREE and can only be done through the Federal Direct Consolidation Program. A Direct Consolidation Loan will combine multiple federal student loans into one loan, resulting in a single monthly payment. Most Direct Consolidation Loans will be eligible for alternative payment plans, including income-driven repayment plans that can lower monthly payments according to income levels. Private education loans are not eligible for the Federal Direct Consolidation Program.

Applying for a Direct Consolidation Loan can be completed online:

Step 1:  Find out more information on the eligibility requirements, benefits, and potential warnings against federal loan consolidation at the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/consolidation. 

Step 2:  Make a list of all of your federal student loans. You can get a complete list of all of your federal loans here: https://nslds.ed.gov/nslds/nslds_SA/.

Step 3:  Apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan by completing and submitting the FREE Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note found here: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/consolidationPaper.action.  

Step 4:  Choose and apply for a Repayment Plan option. If you are having trouble making your student loan payments, you may want to consider an income-driven repayment plan such as the Income Based Repayment Plan, Pay As You Earn Plan, Income Contingent Repayment Plan, or the Income Sensitive Repayment Plan: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/plans. The online Repayment Estimator may be helpful in determining the best repayment plan for your needs: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/mobile/repayment/repaymentEstimator.action.  

If You Are a Current Servicemember with Federal Student Loans:

As a current servicemember you may be eligible for special benefits and repayment options for your federal student loans. More information can be found here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/military-student-loan-benefits.pdf.  

For More Information on Federal Loan Consolidation: 

If you have questions about consolidating your federal student loans, you can contact the Department of Education’s Loan Consolidation Information Call Center at: (800) 557-7392 or visit www.studentloans.gov/. 

To File a Complaint About a Possible Student Loan Debt Relief Scam, Contact:

The Attorney General’s Public Inquiry Unit: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

SAN FRANCISCO – In response to the California High School Exit Exam controversy, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released the following statement:

“As the result of a thoughtless bureaucratic blunder, thousands of high school graduates face the prospect of not being able to enroll in college, serve their country through the military, or pursue other professional goals.  This oversight creates real and immediate harm for these students.  I look forward to working with our state leaders to fix this injustice immediately and ensure our students are given the opportunity to pursue their educational and professional dreams."

SAN FRANCISCO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today released an enhanced interactive tool to help former Corinthian Colleges, Inc. students  learn about new expanded loan relief options granted to students by the U.S. Department of Education. As a result of the Department’s announcement, a large majority of former California Heald College students are now eligible for a streamlined process for loan forgiveness, with an estimated $500-$600 million worth of loans made to approximately 40,000 former Heald students since 2010. 

Corinthian students should utilize the interactive tool created by the Attorney General’s office to learn more about their new relief eligibility and to connect with free resources near them. 

Students will be prompted to answer a short series of questions, which will result in a personalized resource sheet that can be downloaded or emailed for future reference. The personal resource sheet will provide students with information about types of relief they may be eligible for, information on free local legal aid organizations that may provide advice and assistance in applying for relief, and can optionally provide information on cost-effective educational opportunities near them.   

This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced expanded debt relief options for Corinthian students, which will result in many more students being eligible for relief. Specifically, the Department expanded eligibility for students to apply for a closed school discharge, extending the eligibility window back to June 20, 2014 for students who withdrew from a Corinthian College. With the recent closure of all of Corinthian’s California campuses, students in the state will greatly benefit from the Department of Education’s expanded relief effort.  Additionally, the Department announced a streamlined process for many former Heald students to apply for relief through a borrower defense to repayment.   Ten of the thirteen former Heald Colleges were located in California.

The Department of Education’s announcement comes after continuous calls from Attorney General Harris for substantive relief for students suffering from crippling debt.

In May, Attorney General Harris sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, asking the Department to exercise its authority under closed school discharge regulations to provide aid to students affected by Corinthian’s predatory practices.   

In April, Attorney General Harris and eight other state Attorneys General also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging immediate debt relief for the students who attended Heald College and other CCI campuses. 

Attorney General Harris filed a complaint in 2013 alleging that CCI misrepresented job placement rates and school programs and intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable Californians through persistent internet, telemarketing and television ad campaigns. In addition, the complaint alleges that Corinthian executives knowingly misrepresented job placement rates to investors and accrediting agencies, harming students, investors and taxpayers.

Students can access the interactive tool here: http://oag.ca.gov/corinthiantool

SAN FRANCISCO –  Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released the following statement today, following the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement that many more Corinthian Colleges, Inc. students will now be eligible for student loan relief.  Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (CCI) recently closed its remaining campuses in California.

“Corinthian profited by preying on the educational dreams of vulnerable people and then left them under a mountain of debt,” said Attorney General Harris. “I applaud the Department of Education for answering our call to relieve students from this crippling debt Corinthian imposed upon them through its lies and deception. This action has the potential to give students new hope and the opportunity to achieve their educational goals and rebuild their lives.”

Attorney General Harris filed a complaint in 2013 alleging that CCI misrepresented job placement rates and school programs and intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable Californians through persistent internet, telemarketing and television ad campaigns. In addition, the complaint alleges that Corinthian executives knowingly misrepresented job placement rates to investors and accrediting agencies, harming students, investors and taxpayers.

In April, Attorney General Harris and eight other state Attorneys General sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging immediate debt relief for the students who attended Heald College and other CCI campuses. View the letter here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/letter-asg-arne-duncan-04-09-2015.pdf. 

LOS ANGELES–Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued the following statement on the announcement by Corinthian College, Inc. (CCI) that it will close all of its California campuses.

"Corinthian continued to deceive its students to the end.  Closure of these campuses should help students get out from under the mountains of debt Corinthian imposed upon them through its lies.  Federal and state regulators rightly acted to prevent taxpayer dollars from flowing to Corinthian, which preyed on the educational dreams of vulnerable people such as low-income individuals, single mothers and veterans by misleading students and investors about job placement rates and course offerings.  My office will work closely with our state and federal partners to ensure that students get the relief they deserve, providing them with a new path to achieve their educational goals and rebuild their lives.”

Current students attending Corinthian’s WyoTech, Everest or Heald College campuses can visit www.oag.ca.gov/Corinthian to find information on eligibility for debt relief, available resources and the closure status of a specific campus.

Students are also encouraged to utilize an interactive tool created to help current and former Corinthian students learn more about their rights and how to protect them. Students will be prompted to answer a series of questions, which will result in a personalized resource sheet that can be downloaded or emailed for future reference. The personal resource sheet will provide students with information about types of relief they may be eligible for, as well as information on local organizations that can provide help and advice regarding their legal rights and educational options.

In 2013, Attorney General Harris filed a complaint alleging that CCI intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable Californians through deceptive and false advertisements and aggressive marketing campaigns that misrepresented job placement rates and school programs. The complaint alleged that CCI deployed these advertisements through persistent internet, telemarketing and television ad campaigns. The complaint further alleged that Corinthian executives knowingly misrepresented job placement rates to investors and accrediting agencies, which harmed students, investors and taxpayers.

On April 9, 2015, Attorney General Harris and eight other state Attorneys General sent a letter to the Department of Education urging the federal government to immediately relieve the debt burden of thousands of students who attended Heald College and other Corinthian Colleges, Incorporated campuses. View the letter here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/letter-asg-arne-duncan-04-09-2015.pdf.

SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued a statement on the U.S. Department of Education’s actions against Heald College. 

“I applaud the Department of Education for taking strong action to hold Heald College accountable for its egregious misconduct at the expense of students.  Now that the Department has found that Heald engaged in illegal conduct, I urge the Department to act quickly to relieve these students from their student loan debt burdens, which will provide them with the opportunity to achieve their educational goals and rebuild their lives.”

On April 9, 2015, Attorney General Harris and eight other state Attorneys General sent a letter to the Department of Education urging the federal government to immediately relieve the debt burden of thousands of students who attended Heald College and other Corinthian Colleges, Incorporated campuses. View the letter here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/letter-asg-arne-duncan-04-09-2015.pdf.

For more information on resources available to Heald College students, visit www.oag.ca.gov/heald.

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the following statement on Governor Brown’s veto of A.B. 1866 and A.B. 1672 and his signing of A.B. 2141 and A.B. 1643:

“I am disappointed that Governor Brown vetoed AB 1866 and AB 1672. These are missed opportunities to help keep California's youngest and most vulnerable students on track. The facts are very clear. We know that nearly a million elementary school children are truant from our classrooms each year. We know foster, low-income and minority children are truant at much higher rates than other children. And we know truancy drives California's drop-out, crime and incarceration rates. We must get serious about keeping track of whether young children are in school.

The Governor has expressed his commitment to reducing absenteeism and his signature of AB 1643 and AB 2141 are good steps in the right direction. His pledge to do more with local school officials to address California’s elementary school truancy rates will, I hope, result in more tools to address this problem.

I thank Assemblymembers Bocanegra, Holden, Bonta, Hall and Buchanan and the parents, educators and communities who worked so diligently to move these bills forward. I commit to using every tool I have available to address this crisis in our schools.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- The White House My Brother’s Keeper Task Force issued a statement of support for Attorney General Kamala D. Harris’ initiatives to reduce truancy in California elementary schools.

Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson and U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton, who serve as the Chair and Executive Director, respectively, of the White House My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, issued the following statement on Attorney General Harris’ In School + On Track 2014 report:

“We appreciate the report issued today by California’s Attorney General, Kamala Harris.  This incisive and candid report highlights critical barriers to learning for young people; barriers that begin as early as kindergarten and first grade.  As the Chair and Executive Director of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, we know that we all need to be brutally honest about the current state of our children’s lives and that we need to invest the necessary resources in their growth and development to overcome the challenges the data reveal. The astounding facts presented in this report shine a light on the need to adopt policies and practices that address chronic absenteeism and other issues that impede our young people’s path to opportunity and success. We look forward to working with Attorney General Harris and leaders of other communities across the country to find common sense solutions that will strengthen families and communities for years to come.”

Last week, Attorney General Harris released a report, In School + On Track 2014, which provides new research on how students of color and students from low-income families are missing a disproportionate amount of school each year.

The report also articulates the importance of the Every Kid Counts legislative package sponsored by Attorney General Harris that currently awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

More information on the Every Kid Counts legislative package is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/letters.

The online version of the In School + On Track 2014 report can be found here: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2014.

Information on the White House task force is available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper#section-about-my-brothers-keeper.

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the second annual report on elementary school truancy in the state which reveals that the truancy crisis in California continues. The report provides new research on how students of color and students from low-income families are missing a disproportionate amount of school each year.

Attorney General Harris’ second annual report, In School + On Track 2014, outlines recommendations to reduce state truancy rates. These recommendations were put into action in the Every Kid Counts legislative package (http://bit.ly/X7pZYU) sponsored by the Attorney General that passed the state legislature and currently awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

"California elementary school students continue to miss school at unacceptably high rates," Attorney General Harris said. "Improvements in education policy are moot if students are not in class. California needs common sense solutions that help parents and educators reduce elementary school truancy. The Every Kid Counts legislative package helps us get this done."

Information broken down by school district and county is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2014/ch1

The report contains key updates and new research on income and racial disparities, including:

• A quarter of a million elementary school students in California missed 10% or more of the 2013-2014 school year.
• Over the last three years, school districts have lost over $3.5 billion directly from student absences.
• 1 in 10 school districts reported they do not know their chronic absence rate for the 2013-2014 school year.
• Almost 90% of the elementary students who are missing over a month of school per year are from low-income families.
• More than 1 in 5 African American students is chronically absent which is more than double the average for white students.
• African American elementary school students are chronically truant at nearly 4xs the rate of all students.

If signed into law, Attorney General Harris’ legislation will:

• Help schools and counties work with parents to address the core reasons behind truancy and chronic absence.
• Give local school districts and counties tools to comply with attendance tracking requirements in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), state truancy mandates and state and federal reporting requirements.
• Modernize state and local systems to track and prevent truancy and chronic absence.
• Ensure that schools, districts, counties and the state can evaluate the success of interventions to combat truancy and chronic absence.

 “California is investing billions of dollars to help low income, English learner, foster and disabled students succeed,” said Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III. “But students cannot succeed if they are not in the classroom. I am honored to author AB 2141 and to join Attorney General Kamala D. Harris in helping schools and school districts focus its resources on developing effective truancy prevention and intervention strategies. AB 2141 is a common sense measure that will help keep our students off the street and in the classroom. I urge the Governor to sign AB 2141 and all of the Attorney General’s truancy reduction bills into law.”

“I applaud Attorney General Kamala Harris for tackling the issue of truancy and dropout rates head on,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “One of my goals is to keep children in the classroom and out of the courtroom, which is why I was happy to join with the Attorney General in crafting legislation to increase accountability for school attendance review boards in order to make them more effective. The measure, now awaiting the Governor’s signature, will show on the district and state level how large the truancy problem is and how we are addressing it. With this slate of bills we are not putting more students in the juvenile justice system, but inviting the community to intervene before they end up in the penal system.” 

“Attorney General Harris' report is another profound testament to the need for my Assembly Bill 1866, which is currently awaiting the Governor's signature,” said Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra. “By creating precise and longitudinal records of student attendance statewide, this measure will empower educators to detect at-risk students early and develop effective intervention programs for this population. AB 1866 is the first integral step to solving California's attendance crisis and the negative outcomes that ensue.”

"I applaud Attorney General Kamala Harris' commitment to shining the light on the problem of truancy and her work in San Francisco and Sacramento to keep children in school, on track, and ready to graduate,” said Assemblymember Joan Buchanan  “Their future and our future depends on every student graduating college and career ready."

“The findings of this report are alarming and should serve as a wake up call for elected leaders, school districts and California families,” said Senator Ricardo Lara. “Latinos are the majority in California so when 1 in 5 of Latino kids are chronically absent, we have a problem. We must begin addressing this crisis because our state's success is tied to the success of all students.”

Attorney General Harris’ 2013 In School + Track (https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2013) report contained the first statewide statistics on California’s elementary school truancy crisis. The report showed the direct link between public education and public safety. Students who reach third grade but are not at third grade reading level are statistically more likely to drop out of high school. Annually, dropouts cost California taxpayers an estimated $46.4 billion in incarceration, lost productivity and lost taxes.

As the District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General Harris started a citywide truancy initiative in 2006.  In the course of investigating factors contributing to the city’s violent crime rate, she found that 94% of San Francisco homicide victims under age 25 were high school dropouts.  Then-District Attorney Harris formed a partnership with the school district to inform parents that they had a legal duty to ensure that their children attended school, provide parents of chronically truant students with wrap-around services and school-based mediation, and prosecute parents in the most severe cases where other interventions did not work.

Over a two-year period, then-District Attorney Harris’s initiative reduced truancy among elementary students in San Francisco by 23%, according to the San Francisco Unified School District.  The initiative also served as a model for SB 1317 (Leno), which defined “chronic truancy” for the first time under state law and established the initiative’s model of combining meaningful services with smart sanctions in the California Penal Code.  The bill was sponsored by then-District Attorney Harris and was enacted in law in 2010.

The report is available in its entirety online at: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2014

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris will be joined by education, policy, legislative and business leaders at a Los Angeles elementary school to release a new report on California’s Elementary School truancy crisis.

Attorney General Harris’ second annual report, In School + On Track 2014, will provide new research on how students of color and students from low income families are missing a disproportionate amount of school each year and will outline recommendations to reduce state truancy rates. These recommendations were put into action in the Every Kid Counts legislative package (http://bit.ly/1q9oKDT) sponsored by Attorney General Harris that passed the state legislature and currently awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

WHEN:

Today Friday, September 12, 2014 at 11 a.m.

WHERE:

Malabar Elementary School

3200 E. Malabar Street

Los Angeles, CA 90063 

WHO:

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris

Assemblymember Isadore Hall

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy

California Endowment President Dr. Robert Ross

LA Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Gary Toebben

United Way of Greater Los Angeles President & CEO Elise Buik.

NOTES: 

Open to credentialed media only. RSVP required to Nicholas.Pacilio@doj.ca.gov.