Construction of the Brentwood Library in 1997 revealed the history of the site — and led to controversial actions.
WPLN will deepen juvenile justice reporting through ProPublica collaboration
In partnershp with ProPublica, WPLN’s senior criminal justice reporter Paige Pfleger will extend her reporting about Tennessee’s treatment of vulnerable children in state custody.
How a gap in Tennessee’s probation system leaves domestic violence victims in danger
Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months. Six mothers died during this gap, WPLN and ProPublica found.
Theater of War: Rural Tennesseans, Hollywood actors and a live studio audience
Last month, rural Tennesseans, Hollywood actors and a live studio audience in New York City came together. On the agenda were issues that bind us.
Threat assessment laws: Preventing mass violence or traumatizing kids?
After the Covenant School shooting in 2023, Tennessee lawmakers passed two contradictory laws that were designed to reduce violence and discourage students from making threats.
First came the warning signs. Then a teen opened fire on a Nashville school.
Tennessee authorities were alerted to Solomon Henderson’s threatening and violent behavior long before he brought a gun to Antioch High School. It’s unclear how many red flags were heeded.
How many students have been expelled under Tennessee’s school threats law? There’s no clear answer.
When a mother in Tennessee reached out to ProPublica last year to share that her 10-year-old had been kicked out of school for making a finger gun, she wondered how many other kids had experienced the same thing.
A 13-year-old with autism got arrested after his backpack sparked fear. Only his stuffed bunny was inside.
Disability rights advocates said kids like Ty should not be getting arrested under Tennessee’s school threats law. And they tried to push for a broader exception for kids with other kinds of disabilities. It didn’t work.
A 10-Year-Old Pointed a Finger Gun. The Principal Kicked Him Out of His Tennessee School for a Year.
Over the last couple of years, Tennessee and several other states have been making it easier for schools to suspend or expel students. But study after study has shown that harsh disciplinary practices such as mandatory expulsions are ineffective at reducing violence in schools.
Despite outcry over seclusion at juvenile detention centers, Tennessee lawmakers fail to pass oversight bill
A bill that would strengthen oversight of Tennessee’s juvenile detention centers has failed, despite a concerted push for reform after multiple county-run facilities were found to be locking children alone in cells.
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