TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jun 27, 2024

Three parents have filed a class action lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) in conjunction with Disability Rights Tennessee, the Daily Memphian reports. The complaint alleges that children and youth with disabilities at the Wilder Youth Development Center and other DCS facilities across Tennessee are denied adequate education, spend long periods in confinement, are given inadequate mental health treatment, are overprescribed medicine, and are not given appropriate medical care. The suit also alleges that confined youth are exposed to dangerous conditions like mold, bugs and violence from peers. Youth in facilities other than Wilder also are punished with pepper spray, and officers often encourage peer-on-peer violence with rewards, according to the filing. In other reporting, the Nashville Banner says the suit alleges youth are subjected to "horrific experiences." The class action was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court’s Middle District of Tennessee. It also names the state, DCS Commissioner Margie Quin and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds as defendants.