VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hundreds of students and staff are scrambling after The Art Institutes announced it is closing all eight of its remaining locations, effective September 30.
That includes the campus in Virginia Beach. The closures will have a big impact of future chefs, artists and designers.
Sixteen-year-old Justice Perez Sanders graduated from Bayside High School early and had just completed a term at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach. She finished signing up for classes for her upcoming term.
"I was an arts and animation student," she said.
Now, for students like Justice Perez Sanders, a message announcing the school's closure is what greets them on the website.
Justice Perez Sanders and her mother Sara Perez Sanders said they got the email Friday afternoon telling them the school is closed for good.
"How could a school so prestigious just drop a bombshell like that and just say 'we’re closed?' said Sara Perez Sanders.
Justice Perez Sanders said they were, and still are, in shock.
"At first I thought it was a hoax. We both did," she said.
The Art Institute is closing their doors not just in Virginia Beach, but for all of their remaining schools across the country.
In an email sent to students, school leaders said the following:
"A culmination of events over the past decade, both external and internal to the campus operations, has forced the closure of this system of colleges. Most notably, the colleges, which already were dealing with the legacy challenges that arose under prior ownership, were unable to absorb the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools teaching hands-on and equipment-intensive programs such as culinary arts and fashion design."
Justice Perez Sanders said from talking to other people impacted, she believes even the teachers were caught off guard.
They've tried getting answers from different departments, but said it's hard to find a line that hasn't been disconnected.
When 13News Now tried to reach out to AI's media line and email, both seem to be out of service.
Sara Perez Sanders said now they have to regroup. "We’re back to square one."
Justice Perez Sanders is losing a scholarship to the school that covered half of her tuition and her mom is working to recover her 9/11 GI Bill benefits she put towards tuition. At the moment, the 16-year-old is also unable to gain access to her transcripts or a large portion of the work she has submitted.
"I am reeling from all of this, but I do know that I still want to pursue graphic design, arts and animation. It’s just as of right now, there’s not as many options," she said.
She and her mother said her young age prohibits her from going far away from home for school, so their options are limited.
Sara Perez Sanders calls the way the school announced the closure "callous."
"The way that they did it, just closed the doors and respond to nothing and just dismiss their staff and their students, that leaves a very bitter feeling," she said.
The Art Institutes' former parent company, "Education Management Corp," faced a $95 million settlement after fraud allegations in 2015. They've closed multiple other campuses since 2018.