SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Channel 9 learned there may be financial problems plaguing a vet tech school in Seminole County that was raided by agents in June.
Instructors and employees at the Institute of Technical Arts said they haven’t been getting paid and fear the school is going to close down.
“I have loved animals for as long as I can remember,” said a student who didn’t want to be named.
She said many teachers have left and the new hires and employees who have stayed haven’t been paid in few weeks.
She showed Channel 9 a text from an instructor, which said, "I believe there are labor laws that will pay us what we are owed and waiting to see until next week when funding may arrive."
The U.S. Department of Education and the Office of the Inspector General are investigating, but they wouldn't say why.
The student said if her enrollment ends, she’ll have to start paying her student loans immediately.
“The loans on my part myself are $34,000,” she said.
And if money woes force the school to close, she worries her credits may not transfer to another school.
The closest vet tech school accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association is in Brevard County at Eastern Florida State College.
“It’s a waste of time and effort because I have made straight As from the beginning and it’s not going to take me anywhere,” she said.
Eastern Florida officials said they would evaluate each student on a course by course basis to see which credits would transfer, but the program is currently full.
Previous Story: Vet tech school students upset over indefinite closure
WFTV
