Students of the Christine Valmy International School for Esthetics, Skin Care, and Makeup are seeking resolution to a list of substantial grievances with the school. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the shutdown of New York City by government officials, businesses and schools are no longer able to function as normal. Rather then suspending classes for all students, the school hastily turned to create an inefficient remote learning module, that fails at offering proper instruction along with its inability to offer the necessary hands-on practice that ensures esthetic/nail specialty/waxing students are prepared for their chosen fields. In addition to this, the school has also misinformed students about the conditions of their Leave of Absence Policy. Despite Health Experts not being able to decipher when this crisis will end, the school has caused further distress by offering Leave of Absences and assigning dates of return to students, when there is no known time-frame of life returning back to normal. As a result, students who do not return to school remotely (where they are not learning the critical hands-on skills that are necessary for their trade, will be dropped from the roster making them ineligible for any refund.

Various attempts have been made by the students to seek resolution to their individual concerns. However misinformation continues to be given by the school’s staff, adding to student’s frustration and hopelessness, as they cope with the affects of the shutdown (unemployment, financial concerns, health,etc.).

The ability to work on human skin is truly an art form. One that takes dedication, clear and rational judgement, as well as proficiency. It makes the difference for us as future estheticians, to be able to know that the treatments and skills we offer, can create a truly enjoyable experience versus a nightmare for any potential client. If school is supposed to be the foundation for our future, it’s fair to demand that Christine Valmy deliver the education promised to it’s students.

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