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, @EvanMealins.

The Tennessee Titans have question marks at multiple position groups on defense ahead of the 2024 season, and the defensive line is one of them.

Not only did Tennessee lose Denico Autry, who was their best pass-rusher last season, they didn’t adequately replace him, whether that be with a draft pick or a free-agent signing.

Tennessee did sign Sebastian Joseph-Day and draft T’Vondre Sweat to help Jeffery Simmons out, but they are interior defenders, not edge rushers.

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Adding to that, neither one is guaranteed to make a big impact. Joseph-Day is on his fourth team in six seasons and Sweat is a total wild card because he’s a rookie.

Along the edge, the Titans have Harold Landry and Arden Key, but the depth behind those two is non-existent, barring someone coming out of nowhere to step up. Key is best suited as a rotational player, also.

As a result of all the question marks, Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson ranked the Titans’ defensive line as the No. 21 unit in the NFL, which actually isn’t terrible considering the circumstances.

Here’s what he wrote:

Jeffery Simmons is an outstanding player on the interior, but he lacks the help around him. Arden Key and Harold Landry are solid players who will rack up pressures but aren’t true difference-makers, each posting a PFF grade under 70.0 in 2023.

Mammoth rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is an exciting prospect, as his tape flashes special potential, but he is still an unknown.

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The good news is, the Titans have ample cap space to add upfront if they want (they should).

Unfortunately, the interior defensive line market is extremely thin, as you’d expect at this time of year. However, there are still some good edge rushers out there, like Emmanuel Ogbah, Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Lawson.

Any of those three would be a welcomed addition and an upgrade for Tennessee.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Applications are now open for a Tennessee grant designed to improve the safety of places of worship across the state. The Houses of Worship State Security Grant provides up to $100,000 for churches, synagogues, mosques, or temples to hire security personnel.

Michael Mann, a security consultant based in Middle Tennessee, is actively assisting local churches in applying for these funds. Mann, who also manages security at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, has already answered several emails from local churches seeking guidance on the application process.

“Houses of worship — very specifically on Sundays, Wednesdays, and then some other days during the week — house a lot of people, so it’s a highly-occupied facility,” Mann said. “We do see crime, like vandalism, we see arson, we see domestic disputes, and unfortunately, sometimes there are active assailant events.”

The grant aims to help houses of worship hire off-duty police officers or security guards through licensed security services in Tennessee. Mann said he has helped at least 15 churches navigate the application process for a similar federal grant.

“The application specifically addresses or asks questions about any threats that your church or house of worship has had in the past two years,” Mann said. “Specifically, it’s going to ask things like terrorist attacks, violent crimes, manmade or natural disasters, etcetera. It’s going to also ask about vulnerabilities, and then the consequences of those vulnerabilities.”

Incidents such as a threatening phone call that led to the evacuation of a church near Chattanooga last weekend underscore the importance of these security measures. In December, Congregation Micah in Brentwood reported a threat emailed to them and other Jewish organizations to Metro Police.

“This kind of got big for us about 10 years ago, for churches. But the synagogues and Jewish houses of worship have been considering this for a while,” Mann said.

Mann said that places of worship do not have to wait for grant funds to take preventative actions.

“The ability for someone to see that you have some sort of security presence – it doesn’t have to be in uniform. It can be somebody in plainclothes,” Mann said, adding, “That is the number one deterrent.”

Grant applications are due by July 12.

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