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A child was reported using methamphetamine while staying in a Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) office, according to the state's Second Look Commission, which reviews child abuse cases and makes recommendations to the state's General Assembly.

The commission's… pic.twitter.com/sESKFQawYo

— 0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ (@BabyD1111229) March 5, 2026

A child was reported using methamphetamine while staying in a Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) office, according to the state's Second Look Commission, which reviews child abuse cases and makes recommendations to the state's General Assembly.

The commission's 2025 annual report found the child surrendered the substance and underwent a drug test, but there was no recorded follow-up or investigation.

The same report found a child in custody ran away, and "was trafficked or sexually assaulted on the run at least five times." The child even trafficked another.

This comes after Local 3 obtained a 911 call from October 2024, in which a DCS employee at a Bradley County office reported an 11-year-old "trying to self-harm himself with a broken piece of plastic from a broom."

The 911 operator asked, "Is this because of the situation going on, being in DCS custody, or what is he upset about?"

The employee replied:

"So, unfortunately, these kids are currently stuck being at the office for 24 hours, days on end right now... some stuff that's happening with DCS right now, so these kids don't have placement, and they've gotten stir crazy. We've tried to do what we can and try to take them outside, play with them, do what we can, but as soon as we de-escalate them, about an hour later, they re-escalate, and unfortunately, they escalate each other as well."
'A point of no return'
Now, Representative Aftyn Behn, a democrat representing Nashville in the General Assembly, wants intervention from the federal government.

Behn, a social worker elected in 2022, first filed a complaint last week with the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging "unnecessary segregation of children with disabilities" and "placement instability."

The complaint asks for a "pattern-or-practice investigation."