There are three answers to your question.
1. Technically, your tax preparer was wrong, those amounts probably should have been filed.
2. From a practical standpoint, he was right, the amount is so small it is unlikely to make a difference and you should forget about it. It is not mandatory that a 1098-T be filed. You will not be hearing from the IRS, because the amount is small and they do not authenticate numbers on a 1098-T, even big numbers.
3. The true answer depends on more details. Such as:
Why are you not you parent's dependent this year?
You say you actually paid $270, was that in addition to what the $453 paid for?
What other income did you have?
