NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A residential high school equivalency program is opening at the site of a former Tennessee youth detention center that had had a history of violent clashes, breakout attempts and attacks on guards.
The new 22-week program will be administered and funded through National Guard Youth Challenge Program at the site of the former Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville.
Two mass breakouts and a riot in September 2014 caused Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and state officials to reconsider the use of the facility.
“Last time I was here was when we were in the middle of that,” Haslam said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Guard program. “In the end, I think this is a much more productive use of this property and I’m really proud of our team for putting this whole thing together.”
The detention center ceased operations in February, and staffers and 30 teens were moved next door to former New Visions facility, which is now called Gateway to Independence. Meanwhile, the Guard has completed an overhaul of sleeping quarters and study spaces to prepare for the first class of 100 cadets at what is now called the Tennessee Volunteer Challenge Academy.