Tennessee

Lawsuit: Children with disabilities in Tennessee custody subject to ‘barbaric violence’

Published

2 years ago

June 26, 2024

Lawsuit: Children with disabilities in Tennessee custody subject to ‘barbaric violence’

Three families have sued Tennessee and its Department of Children’s Services (DCS), alleging unconstitutional mistreatment and “barbaric violence” faced by young people with disabilities in juvenile detention centers.

The sweeping 114-page lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, alleges multiple instances of children being subject to violent assaults from facility staff and other residents, including one instance of multiple staff allegedly pepper spraying a shackled boy who was then blocked from seeking medical care for 12 hours.

The plaintiffs also named Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds in the lawsuit, arguing state officials have failed to provide basic supports for youth in Tennessee custody such as education and mental and medical health care. The lawsuit alleges at least one child was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day and not allowed to attend school. Staff instead slid homework packets under his door, plaintiffs allege.

“All children deserve appropriate education and healthcare. All children deserve to feel safe,” Jasmine Miller, an attorney on the case from the Youth Law Center, said in a news release. “Across the country, we are seeing real progress in juvenile justice reform and how the most vulnerable youth are treated once they enter the system. Unfortunately, Tennessee is not progressing.”

The complaint alleges the defendants fail to screen youth in their custody for disabilities and provide accommodations or treatment, and instead punish the children for the symptoms of their disabilities, “using violent and abusive measures like solitary confinement, pepper spray, and peer-on-peer violence as behavior management tools.”

Disability Rights Tennessee, a nonprofit legal services organization, is both a plaintiff in the lawsuit and part of the legal team suing the state. The children currently or formerly in DCS custody, who are identified by pseudonyms in the lawsuit, are seeking to make the lawsuit a class action on behalf of all young people with disabilities in or “at imminent risk” of being in DCS custody. A judge will have to decide whether to certify the class.

“The State should recognize disabilities and trauma in the youth they serve and address those disabilities instead of ignoring them. They should provide safe environments,” Jack Derryberry, Disability Rights Tennessee’s legal director, said in the news release. “We have spent the last two years doing everything in our power to effect change in these systems, without success. At this point, we have no choice but to ask the Courts to step in to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which represents the state in lawsuits, did not respond to a request for comment sent shortly before noon Wednesday.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMe a lins.

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Tennessee

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

Published

9 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee football beat out Ohio State for transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, giving the Vols one of the top players in the portal.

Coleman spent one season at Penn State. With the Nittany Lions, the former four-star prospect collected eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in nine games.

Coleman is a native of Warren, Ohio. His offer sheet out of Harding High School included Ohio State, Missouri, Illinois, Ole Miss and Kentucky, among others.

In Coleman’s lone season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions saw a plethora of change.

Former head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October after a 3-3 start. After finishing the season with an interim staff, Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach.

The change in staff also led to the departure of Jim Knowles — Penn State’s defensive coordinator who served in that role at Ohio State from 2022-24. He’s not at Tennessee.

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Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

21 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

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Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

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