During the public comments portion of the Dec. 14 Metro Nashville Public School Board meeting, District 35 Councilmember Dave Rosenberg aired some concerns about Bellevue Middle School.
“I’m a public school evangelist and have consistently supported MNPS in any way I've known how,” said Rosenberg. “Sadly I'm here to share some things going on at one of our middle schools.”
Rosenberg cited an instance in which one student reportedly called another a racial slur, saying it wasn’t properly addressed. He also noted lockdowns and drug dogs, unpunished and unreported “nonconsensual sexual incidents,” dismissed formal complaints and issues with administration.
The Scene obtained MNPS’ response to Rosenberg’s allegations along with records of some of the alleged incidents.
“We are aware of some of the concerns raised by Metro Councilmember Dave Rosenberg as it relates to the administration at Bellevue Middle School,” reads the statement. “As has previously been communicated to the Councilmember, we have investigated the situation through the appropriate channels and found that the administration followed proper protocols and procedures to investigate and respond to the incidents. Our investigations were handled by trained professionals who are knowledgeable in the laws, rules, and procedures governing student behavior and employment issues within MNPS. We understand that there are some who would like an external investigation in the hopes it would reach a different conclusion from our internal investigation, however, that is not standard practice and there has not been any evidence or information received by the district to indicate it is warranted.”
Rosenberg — along with Councilmember At-Large Sharon Hurt, Councilmember At-Large Bob Mendes, Councilmember At-Large Zulfat Suara and District 22 Councilmember Gloria Hausser — filed a resolution asking for an external investigation into Bellevue Middle School’s administration, but delayed consideration of it so they could further describe specific incidents and consult with MNPS leadership. Rosenberg says they are still working on it.
The district also responded to several of the incidents Rosenberg spoke about. The statement notes an incident in which “a student used a racial epithet towards an African-American student,” saying there was disciplinary action and restorative intervention, but sharing the results of the punishment would be a violation of federal laws that protect student privacy. MNPS also provided descriptions of another incident in which a football player “mouthed a racial epithet in the lyrics of a song” on Snapchat, but because the video was taken off campus and didn’t direct “malice” toward other students, it was within the student’s free-speech rights. The statement notes, however, that the school’s football coach, “who himself is an African-American, … sought to address the matter by having a restorative conference between those players and the student involved.”
The statement also acknowledges a teacher who was connected to the two incidents; the teacher “raised concerns about retaliation to the district administration,” but an MNPS investigation determined this was not the case. Regarding lockdowns and drug dogs, the district’s response notes that lockdown drills are customary, as are random drug searches with search dogs.
Though MNPS did not acknowledge the instances of sexual assault that Rosenberg alleged, district spokesperson Sean Braisted tells the Scene: “We have not received specific details from the councilmember, but in talking with the principal we assume he is talking about an incident that was alleged to have occurred in August involving a student exposing himself.
“That was investigated and documented through witness statements that were found to be inconclusive,” Braisted continues. “The issue has been referred to the executive director of civil rights and Title IX coordinator for further review. Generally, the Bellevue Middle administration has been proactive in reporting incidents in the system and to the Office of Civil Rights for consultation or investigation where necessary.”
On Dec. 20, the same councilmembers who filed a resolution — plus District 34 Councilmember Angie Henderson — issued a response to MNPS’ statement:
On Wednesday, a Metro Schools spokesman released a statement that ignored most of the incidents that have taken place at Bellevue Middle School and was void of any acknowledgement of serious unresolved issues. Worse, the statement was accompanied by the records of formal complaints that included personally identifiable information of a Metro Schools teacher and a Metro Schools student. This approach is inexcusable.
The release of information identifying whistleblowers is exactly why teachers and parents are approaching elected officials with their descriptions of serious incidents and accompanying documentation rather than filing complaints through official channels, which are clearly broken. Whether Metro Schools’ intent was retaliatory in nature or not, the perception of their action has a further chilling effect on parents and teachers who are experiencing issues Metro Schools needs to know about and act on.
We are confident that Metro Schools’ public posturing does not match what they are doing privately to create a leadership structure that will allow Bellevue Middle School to thrive, because we continue to believe in public education’s promise of protecting all students and listening to the educators who serve them. Still, it is deeply troubling that teachers and families continue to be publicly invalidated and discouraged. They deserve to be heard.
We look forward to the long-overdue opportunity to share our constituents’ concerns with those who have been charged with serving our children in Metro Schools.
In response, MNPS spokesperson Braisted tells the Scene: “Councilmember Rosenberg claimed that the allegations were not investigated, when in fact they were. We provided the public records, upon request, to prove it, and we redacted personally identifiable information of students. He chose to publicly disparage the reputation of an MNPS Principal with one-sided allegations, which required us to respond with facts and information.”
Thought Braisted initially claimed that the district redacted identification of students, there were partially-identifying details in documents obtained by the Scene.
“We certainly attempted to redact all initials or personally identifiable information,” Braisted tells the Scene. “Clearly in one place that did not happen and I regret the error. We will redact in any future documents released.”
Bellevue Middle School is currently under the leadership of principal Seth Swihart, who was hired in 2019. MNPS’ statement contends that “Swihart has sought to address … bullying in the school,” and that a recent climate survey indicates that student perceptions of bullying have improved since Swihart’s arrival, as has a “culture of diversity.”
In another email obtained by the Scene, the president of the Bellevue Middle School PTO told Rosenberg “If there are administrative issues or issues with discipline at BMS those should most certainly be reviewed, addressed and resolved, but this is not the way. You have done nothing but cause pain within our community. You say you are an advocate for our public schools, but this says otherwise.”
District 9 school board member Abigail Tylor, who oversees the district Bellevue Middle School is in, could not be reached for comment. Rosenberg noted at the board meeting, however, that Tylor has been “fierce about trying to get the attention of administrators to get this problem addressed.”
