SMYRNA, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Rehabilitation Center, which helps people with special needs learn workforce skills, abruptly closed its doors this week due to the state government shutdown, forcing students like Michelle Kiewell's son to pack up and leave campus immediately.
"Mom, I have to leave campus. I'm like, What? What do you mean you've got to leave campus? They told me to pack up my stuff," Kiewell said. "He has a hard time explaining things anyway. So he was just kind of like, What's going on?"
The government shutdown, now the third largest in American history, shows no signs of ending soon. For families at the Smyrna campus, the closure came without warning, disrupting students who were making progress in their programs.
Kiewell's son was scheduled to begin his internship when the shutdown occurred.
"He was going to start his internship. And his emotions were just, he was in tears. And he said everyone was in tears down there," Kiewell said.
The Department of Human Services says students can continue learning online, but for families like the Kiewells, what's lost extends beyond just education.
"He's usually standoffish, but he was really thriving there. I kind of worry about that," Kiewell said.
The campus that was filled with students, laughter and activity just days ago now stands empty and quiet. For Michelle, it's a silence that speaks volumes about the human cost of the government shutdown.
Want to see the emotional impact of this shutdown on families? Watch our full report and share your thoughts on how government closures affect vulnerable populations. Have a story tip about how the shutdown is impacting your community? Contact Kim at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
One of the best things about Tennessee is its beauty. Reporter, Chris Davis, certainly makes the most of it as an avid hunter and fisherman. When he turned the spotlight on the potential funding shortfall the TWRA is facing - it hit a nerve with many of our viewers. To find out more, make sure to watch this story.
- Carrie Sharp
