Image Credit: Mt. View Elementary School
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A teacher and multiple students at a Nashville Elementary school witnessed a former DCS caseworker turned educator using abusive disciplinary tactics in her first grade classroom.
Mt. View Elementary School teacher Donielle Rhone was placed on leave last month following allegations that she taped a 7-year-old child to a chair at the Antioch, Tennessee, school.
An investigation conducted by Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) in conjunction with Metro Nashville Police Department not only substantiated the allegations regarding the improper restraining of the child, but found many more concerning incidents after interviewing Rhone’s students.
While MNPS recommended that Rhone be terminated as her actions constitute a violation of MNPS Board policies, she chose to resign instead of waiting for the termination process to be completed. Rhone will be prohibited from working for the Metro Nashville district again. A report has also been submitted to the state.
During the investigation, that was kickstarted when another Mt. View Elementary teacher reported Rhone to school leadership, it was discovered that not only did Rhone indeed tape her student to a chair but that the April 24th incident was not the first time that she had done so.
Students reported that Rhone restrained this particular student in this manner on more than one occasion. Rhone also taped the mouths of students, had them run laps during recess and made them stand facing the wall.
In Rhone’s own report of the April 24th incident, she said that she implemented multiple Tier 1 and Tier 2 behavioral interventions after the child kneeled backward in his chair in what she said was an unsafe manner.
She also wrote that after giving multiple verbal warnings that she placed a “single piece of clear Scotch tape from her desk and lightly placed it across the student’s pant legs” to encourage proper seated posture.
However, when MNPS interviewed students who were present in the classroom during the incident, 18 of them said that she had used tape to secure the child to the desk by using tape across the top of his legs and under the desk.
Some of the students reported that Rhone had also taped the student’s mouth on other occasions, as well as the mouths of other children, and 2 students reported that other classmates were made to run laps.
When asked about these further allegations, Rhone denied ever having taped any of her students to a desk, at not one but two separate meetings with MNPS. She also stated that she had merely given her students tape which they then chose to place on their own mouths without being told to do so. With regard to running laps, Rhone said that she gave her students a choice to run, walk, or play.
Rhone, who holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) with a double major in Mental Health Services and Health, was employed by DCS from November 2020 until March of 2022. Prior to her time as a caseworker, Rhone worked as a case manager in Donelson, Tennessee, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, and before that, as an early childhood teacher. She even worked a short stint as a mental health counselor at a residential treatment center in Nashville.
More recently, Rhone served on the national board of governors for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization in the United States as an outspoken advocate of trans ideology.
MNPS has policies regarding the restraint of students, which follow Tennessee law. Schools cannot restrain students as a means of punishment or retaliation, and “mechanical” restraints such as straps, lap belts, or ties are forbidden.
Under state law, restraint is defined as limiting a student’s freedom of movement by holding the child or by physical contact between teacher and student and is to be used as a last resort.
Restraint may only be used in an emergency situation where there is a threat to the physical safety of the student or others, even if restraint has been written into a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Additionally, schools are required to tell parents and guardians of any incident where restraint was used with their child. MNPS reported the April 24th incident to the parents of the child involved immediately, informing them that there would be an investigation.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
