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A Tennessee School Agreed to Pay $100,000 to Family of 11-Year-Old Student Arrested Under School Threats Law

ProPublica
1 month 1 week ago

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.

A Chattanooga, Tennessee, public charter school has agreed to pay the family of an 11-year-old boy $100,000 to settle a federal lawsuit claiming that it wrongfully reported the student to police for an alleged threat of mass violence.

The incident happened at the beginning of the school year when Junior, who is autistic, overheard two students talking. (We are using a nickname to protect his privacy.) As Junior later described it, one asked if the other was going to shoot up the school tomorrow. Junior looked at the other student, who seemed like he was going to say yes, and answered yes for him. Students then reported that Junior had threatened to shoot up the school.

Administrators said he could return to school the next day, but hours later, a sheriff’s deputy tracked him down at a family birthday dinner and handcuffed him in the restaurant parking lot.

ProPublica and WPLN News wrote about the case last October as part of a larger investigation into a new law in Tennessee making threats of mass violence at school a felony.

According to the settlement, Chattanooga Preparatory School also agreed to implement training on how to handle threats of mass violence at school, including reporting only “valid” threats to police and differentiating between “clearly innocuous statements” and “imminent” violence.

A federal judge will hold a final hearing on the settlement on July 1. According to the family’s lawyer, this is the first known monetary settlement in a case challenging this law. Chattanooga Prep did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the news organizations.

Junior’s mother, Torri, said the settlement is “bittersweet.” He still gets fearful when he sees police cars, reminded of the evening he was taken to juvenile detention. We are only using Torri’s first name at her request, to prevent her son from being identifiable. His case was dismissed in juvenile court in December.

But Torri said she is happy that employees at the school will get training on how to do better in the future.

Junior with his mother, Torri (Andrea Morales for ProPublica)

“I don’t want anyone — any child, anyone, any parent — to go through it or witness it,” she said. “Other kids will be more protected if they are ever put in that situation.”

Junior’s lawyers argued in the lawsuit that the school was at fault for reporting him to police as though he had made a valid threat, while knowing he had not. “Instead of reporting only valid threats of mass violence to police, Chattanooga Prep reports all threats to law enforcement regardless of validity,” an amended version of the lawsuit against the school reads. The school did not file a response to the legal complaint.

During the last legislative session, advocates for children with disabilities testified about problems with the law — but lawmakers did not alter the existing statute. Instead they added another similar statute to the books, which could open the door for children to be charged with harsher penalties.

The family’s lawyer, Justin Gilbert, said he hopes this settlement will force lawmakers to pay attention and make necessary changes to the law.

“Monetary figures — for better or for worse — can be a driver for policy change, and sometimes legislators can react to that, school districts can react to that,” Gilbert said. “Then that results in a deeper look at the settlement terms and what kind of training is necessary to hopefully prevent these kids from being arrested and expelled unnecessarily.”

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

Attorney General Raoul Statement On Court Ordering Trump Administration To Stop Illegal Tariffs

Riverbender 🕸
1 month 1 week ago
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following statement after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled President Trump’s attempt to implement sweeping tariffs “exceed any authority” granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Raoul and 12 attorneys general filed a lawsuit in April to halt implementation of the illegal tariffs. “Once again, a court has evaluated the Trump administration’s attempt to govern by edict. And once again, a court has ruled the president exceeded his authority granted under the law. “Since the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was enacted in 1977, no president has attempted to use it to implement such sweeping, arbitrary tariffs. In this matter, the court rightly determined the administration’s use of tariffs to ‘pressure’ the targeted countries fall short of the law’s criteria for a looming national emergency. Illinois and states around th

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How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Backyard

Riverbender 🕸
1 month 1 week ago
Did you know that nearly 60% of bird species in North America have experienced significant population declines over the past 50 years? While habitat loss and climate change are major contributors, urban and suburban development also play a critical role. However, your backyard can be a small but powerful refuge for wildlife. By thoughtfully designing and managing your outdoor space, you can support local ecosystems and enjoy the beauty of nature right at home. Understanding the Role of Your Backyard in Wildlife Conservation Backyards, even small ones, collectively form a network of habitats that can sustain wildlife populations. Birds, pollinators, amphibians, and small mammals often rely on urban green spaces as stopovers during migration or as permanent homes. The challenge is to create an environment that meets their needs for food, water, shelter, and breeding. For example, research from the National Wildlife Federation shows that backyards planted with native vegetation support

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This Day in History on May 29: First Successful Ascent of Mount Everest

Riverbender 🕸
1 month 1 week ago
May 29 has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in global history, affecting politics, culture, and society in profound ways. On May 29, 1453, after a protracted siege, Ottoman forces led by Sultan Mehmed II finally breached the formidable walls of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This conquest marked the end of a millennium-old empire and the beginning of Ottoman dominance in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. The fall of Constantinople is often cited as a significant turning point that helped usher in the Renaissance in Western Europe, as many Greek scholars fled westward, bringing with them classical knowledge and texts. But the significance of May 29 doesn’t end there. Centuries later in 1660, the same date marked the restoration of the English monarchy with King Charles II's triumphant return to London. This event ended the period of republican rule known as the Commonwealth, which had been established after the English Civil

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