Image Credit: mtview.mnps.org
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A former caseworker for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) turned first-grade teacher has been placed on leave after allegations that she inappropriately restrained a 7-year-old child at an Antioch, Tennessee, elementary school.
Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and the Metro Nashville Police Department are investigating the incident which involves a first-grade student who was taped to a chair at Mt. View Elementary School. A spokesperson for MNPS said that Rhone’s administrative leave is in accordance with the district’s policies and procedures to allow for an investigation and is “standard operating practice” for situations of this type involving employees.
According to MNPS, the incident involving Donielle Rhone and her 7-year-old student took place on Thursday, April 24th, 2025.
Screenshots from Rhone’s Facebook page show that she 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.
Rhone 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. She graduated in 2017.
Having attended high school in the same community as Mt. View Elementary, Rhone is no stranger to the area, having herself graduated from Antioch High School in 2011.
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.
While there is no information at this time about whether the child in question at Mt. View had an IEP or has a disability, it is a sad reality that students with disabilities often receive poor treatment at school at the hands of those who are in a position of authority over them.
Last year, The Tennessee Conservative reported on an incident at a Clarksville-Montgomery County School between a young autistic boy and a teacher who allegedly screamed in his face, covered his mouth, and pulled his hair.
While an initial investigation by DCS resulted in a finding of “without substantiation” and no charges filed by the District Attorney’s Office, upon further review and a new investigation, the opposite was found leading the teacher to be reassigned to an alternative work site.
The teacher in question ultimately chose to seek retirement due to media attention which was promptly approved, giving her retiree health insurance benefits and life insurance.
Sources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/donielle-rhone-00021713a
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Got WAAY too many of lucifer’s people “teaching” in public schools and “administrators” upholding their wrongdoing.