Online High School Agrees to Clarify Its Nationality

A non-accredited online high school has agreed to stop representing that it is located in Vermont when it is actually in Mount Royal, Quebec, Canada, the Vermont Attorney General announced.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) offers correspondence learning program at the high school level and in a number of vocational areas, including training for medical office, nursing and veterinary assistants.

Attorney General William H. Sorrell said the school listed its address as St. Albans, Vermont, sometimes also mentioning the Quebec address, on its Web site, diplomas, academic materials, letterhead and envelopes.

"We welcome business from outside our state," Sorrell said, "But if a company is not actually based here, it cannot legally claim otherwise."

Vermont's Consumer Fraud Rule 120 provides that a business may not use a Vermont address unless it actually carries on substantial functions in the state, not just mail forwarding and sales.

The company agreed to pay $10,000 in civil penalties and to stop representing itself as being located in Vermont.

However, the About Us page on the schools Web site, when checked on January 4, still described containted the statement: "Stratford's corporate offices are located in St. Albans, Vermont, and Montreal, Canada."

"SCI has maintained an administrative office in Vermont for fourteen years, and we are pleased that the matter has been amicably resolved." Peter Richmond, the school's supervisor of student services, told ConsumerAffairs.com.

The Boston Better Business Bureau gives the school an "A+" rating at both its Vermont and Canadian addresses.