Nashville, Tenn. — Parents who say the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) took their children packed a Nashville forum on Saturday, Sept. 26, comparing notes, sharing court orders and learning their rights in a system one attorney called “a behemoth.” The workshop — the second of its kind, with more planned — was hosted by the Middle Tennessee National Action Network with Healthy & Free Tennessee and state Rep. Aftyn Behn, according to WSMV.
The gathering is the latest sign of a growing grassroots push for DCS reform in Tennessee, three months after Behn filed 14 federal civil rights complaints accusing the agency of removing children without court orders, falsifying case records and retaliating against families who complained.
Families say they faced DCS alone
Parents told WSMV they had felt isolated, unaware that other families were living through the same thing. Sheryl Huff, president and founder of the Middle Tennessee National Action Network, said families discovered their experiences matched once they met.
A lot of families don’t understand what DCS is, they don’t understand what their rights are.
Sheryl Huff, Middle Tennessee National Action Network, to FOX 17
Kara Jordan Wright drove two and a half hours from West Tennessee for the event. Her daughter spent a little over a month in CPS custody before they were reunited, WSMV reported; she said she now knows her rights and wants to help other parents.
Shameca Burt described carrying a “suitcase” of documentation and court orders for more than 24 years. Without money for a private lawyer, she said, families must accept state-appointed attorneys who are paid regardless of the outcome — a no-win situation for parents fighting to keep their kids.
Allegations of falsified documents
Courtney Teasley, a retired attorney turned advocate, told WSMV that many parents “don’t know the first thing to do” once DCS arrives. She alleged that DCS falsifies documents and drags out cases that end with children being placed for adoption.
FOX 17 reported that Teasley represented a Georgia couple whose five children were removed after a 2023 traffic stop in Coffee County — a case in which a federal judge allowed Fourth Amendment and false-imprisonment claims against three DCS workers to proceed, according to the Tennessee Lookout. In that case, the mother received only a citation for a small amount of marijuana, yet her children, ages 4 months to 7 years, spent 55 days in foster care. Huff told FOX 17 she fostered the five children.
Fourteen federal civil rights complaints against DCS
In June, Rep. Behn (D-Nashville) filed 14 complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. According to WSMV, they allege “cross-cutting patterns of violations,” including:
- Removals without court orders or petitions.
- Falsified case records allegedly used to pursue termination of parental rights.
- Retaliation against parents and foster parents who complained, including fabricated abuse allegations.
- Disability discrimination against children in DCS custody, and national-origin discrimination.
The complaints named Knox, Lawrence, Davidson, Grundy, Washington, Sumner, Houston, Bradley, Hamilton and Rutherford counties, among others, and asked for a federal investigation and an immediate hold on active terminations of parental rights.
These families did everything right.
State Rep. Aftyn Behn, on her complaints against Tennessee DCS, to WSMV
Both WSMV and FOX 17 said DCS had not responded to requests for comment on the Sept. 26 forum.
What Tennessee families need
For Father’s Advocacy Network, the Nashville forum shows what happens when an agency answers to no one: parents end up building their own support networks to learn rights the state never explained. Tennessee families do not need a bigger DCS. They need warrants and hearings before removals, honest case records, real legal representation, and consequences for workers who falsify documents.
Key facts
- Event: Sept. 26, 2026 DCS family workshop in Nashville, the second such meeting, hosted by the Middle Tennessee National Action Network, Healthy & Free Tennessee and Rep. Aftyn Behn.
- Speakers included Sheryl Huff, Courtney Teasley, Kara Jordan Wright and Shameca Burt.
- Rep. Behn filed 14 federal civil rights complaints against DCS with HHS’s Office for Civil Rights in June 2026.
- Complaints allege removals without court orders, falsified records used in parental-rights terminations, and retaliation against families.
- DCS did not respond to WSMV or FOX 17 before publication.
Sources
- WSMV 4 — Advocates, families push for reform of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (2026-09-26)
- FOX 17 Nashville (WZTV) — Public discussion in Nashville helps parents navigate DCS and “getting children back” (2026-09-26)
- WSMV 4 — TN representative files 14 federal civil rights complaints against DCS over treatment of children with disabilities, placement issues (2026-06-20)
- Tennessee Lookout — Tennessee DCS workers can be held liable for role in taking kids from parents after traffic stop (2024-08-19)
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