SMYRNA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Students at the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center were forced off campus due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, leaving families scrambling and students in tears.
Video sent to NewsChannel 5 Investigates, showed families picking up students outside the Smyrna campus. Some students were seen in tears while parents packed up their belongings.
The state-run facility, which serves adults with disabilities, specializes in teaching vocational skills to help students find jobs. The center also provides functional learning and foundational skills for students who are blind or visually impaired.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services, which operates the center, said in a statement that the campus will be closed temporarily:
"Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, in-person services and learning at TRC-Smyrna will be closed to students temporarily beginning Monday, October 20. Students and families have been notified that students should prepare to be off campus by 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, and take all belongings home with them. In an effort to mitigate impacts, the TRC-Smyrna administration will provide services and learning opportunities virtually to engage students while they are away from campus."
NewsChannel5 Investigates learned that students were told to take their laptops home with them and continue lesson plans virtually. We don't know how many students were local and how many others traveled from different counties to attend classes at the facility.
We sent questions to DHS about why a state-operated program would be forced to shut down due to the federal government shutdown. We're waiting on a response.
The 17-day government shutdown, meanwhile, is now the third-longest shutdown in American history and continues to show no clear resolution in sight.
Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on funding solutions that would restore operations to programs like the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center.
This is a developing story. We will update it as we get more information.
