Students, teachers in shock over school closure

Bridgeport, Conn. (WTNH) -- Students at one school in Bridgeport are fuming after the school was shut down without warning.

Everyone there is supposed to be in school. It was supposed to be the first day of class for Alma and Magdalia, but instead they arrived to find out the bad news about Butler Business School.

"It's closed," Alma Morales said. "I left Norwalk Community College to come here. And now the school is closed. I don't know what I'm going to end up doing."

On the other end of the spectrum, Michele Brown was just about to get her certificate in Medical Assistance, after taking out a lot of loans.

"I was told I had to pay back $12,000," Brown said.

"So you still owe $12,000, and what do you have to show for that," asked News 8's Kent Pierce.

"Not a thing," Brown said.

That's because a sign appeared on the school's door a few days ago, telling everyone classes were cancelled "indefinately," and that word not even spelled right. It gave no reason, just a phone number to call.
 
"You call that number, nobody answers," Brown said. "I'm mad. I'm shocked too, but I'm mad."

The State Office of Higher Education hasn't had any more luck reaching anybody who runs the school than the students have. However, a spokesperson tells News 8 what they did there was illegal. State law says a school has to provide 60 days notice before closing. That's to avoid exactly this kind of confusion.

"The Office of Higher Education has set up a website and a toll free phone number where students can register their complaints. The state does have a fund that could help students financially if efforts to reach the school's owners fail. There are more than 1,200 students affected at locations in Bridgeport, Hamden and Hartford. There are also many teachers who just got the bad news too."

"I just walked around for the next 20 minutes saying 'I don't have a job. I don't have a job,'" said Sue Waters, former Butler teacher.

Other schools are offering to do what they can. Students are also looking into hiring a lawyer, and heading to the owner's offices in Rhode Island to protest Thursday.