The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) has concluded its January 28-30, 2015 Commission Meeting.
By action of the Commission, the following schools have received:
To view this information as a pdf, click here: COMTA Actions – January 2015.
Initial Accreditation (Institutional): January 2015 – January 2022
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Center for Neurosomatic Studies (Clearwater, FL)
- Waldrip Center for Therapeutic Massage (Tupelo, MS)
Deferred Accreditation Decisions (Institutional):
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Potomac Massage Training Institute – (Washington DC)
The Commission has extended the deferred decision on renewal of accreditation and the grant of accreditation for 30 days for the school to respond to the Show Cause Order (below).
Placed on Show Cause:
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Educating Hands School of Massage – (Miami, FL) – For details, see below
- Virginia School of Massage – (Charlottesville, VA) – For details, see below
Continued Show Cause:
- Potomac Massage Training Institute – (Washington DC) – For details, see below
Continued Probation:
- Virginia School of Massage – (Charlottesville, VA) – For details, see below
Change of location designation:
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Institute for Therapeutic Massage – (Haskell, NJ)
The Commission has re-designated the Haskell location as the school’s main campus. The interim approved Hackensack location has been re-designated a branch location. The other campus locations remain unaffected. Main: 1069 Ringwood Ave, #315, Haskell NJ 7420; Branch: 321 Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
Addition of Auxiliary Classroom – Application:
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Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy – (Ann Arbor, MI)
Grant interim approval for the auxiliary classroom located at: Thrive Martial Arts and Fitness, 5050 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103,
Please note: Renewal schools placed on show cause, probation or deferral are considered accredited institutions.
Placed on Show Cause:
- Educating Hands School of Massage – (Miami, FL)
At its October 22-23, 2014 meeting, the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) acted to place the school on probation until the 2013 Annual Report and all applicable late fees were submitted and accepted by the Commission. The annual report had been due July 1, 2014 and was to be submitted immediately. No response to the Commission action was made by the school, so COMTA staff sent a certified letter to the school, received January 2, 2015, requesting immediate notification. This letter had also gone unanswered.
At its January 2015 meeting, thus, the Commission acted to place the school on Show Cause until the 2013 annual report and all applicable late fees, are submitted and reviewed by the Commission. The school has 30 days to submit all information. Failure to meet this deadline will result in immediate Revocation of accreditation.
- Virginia School of Massage – (Charlottesville, VA)
The school had conditions placed on its 2011 and 2012 annual report for low completion and placement rates. It had a deadline of August 2014 to bring the rates into compliance with the minimum threshold of 65%.
At its October 2014 meeting, the Commission reviewed the school’s 2013 annual report and acted to accept the 2013 Annual Report and place the school on probation for continued low completion and placement rates, as well as not notifying the Commission of Campus Director change. The Commission requested a Completion and Placement Improvement Plan with updated CPL charts and the new Campus Director information.
At its January meeting, the Commission reviewed the school’s interim report and accepted the Campus Director information and placement rate improvement plan, but it does not accept the improvement plan for low completion rates. The probation status will be continued with an additional status of Show Cause. The school has already exceeded the maximum timeframe allowed for meeting the minimum threshold for completion rates. However, the Commission notes that there has been some improvement in the rates reported and is granting an extension to see if further improvement can be demonstrated in the most recent groups of students. The school is required to submit additional information about the low completion rates, including more student-centered interventions which will be enacted to improve the completion rates.
Continued Show Cause:
- Potomac Massage Training Institute – (Washington DC)
At its October 22-23, 2014 meeting, the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) reviewed the renewal of accreditation for the Potomac Massage Training Institute. This review included consideration of the program’s self-study report, the report of the site team, the school’s response to the site team report, as well as the recent Change of Location application and Maryland Higher Education Commission action. Based upon the information submitted for review, the Commission acted to defer the accreditation decision and place the School on Show Cause for moving to a location without prior state or COMTA approval. The Commission extended the school’s accreditation grant for a period of 60 days, during which time the school was to notify the Commission of its current operational location and status and where it was within the state approval application process. The school was also to submit an interim report addressing the concerns remaining from the renewal process, including the submission of a complete 2013 annual report which had been due March 1, 2014 but remained delinquent.
At its January meeting, the Commission reviewed the school’s interim report and acted to extend the deferral of accreditation and Show Cause action for 30 days. The school must submit the 2013 and 2014 audits and annual reports, with payment of applicable late fees. Failure to meet this deadline will result in immediate Revocation of accreditation.
Provided the above requirements are timely met, the school must further demonstrate compliance with outstanding standards and policies, including obtaining Maryland state approval and a site visit of the new location, as well as submitting application materials for the temporary Washington D.C location.