Two sources have confirmed to The Tennessee Star that Carlton Battle, the brother of Metro Nashville Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle, was working at Antioch High School on January 22, the day 17-year-old Solomon Henderson killed a classmate before taking his own life at the school.
Carlton Battle was previously a basketball coach at Whites Creek High School, where a lawsuit filed by former administrative staff and MNPS employees claims he “beat up” the parent of a student who complained that his child did not play after a basketball game. Prior to his suspension, Carlton Battle was named Coach of the Year, and was interviewed about his time at the school.
According to the lawsuit, Carlton Battle (pictured above) was placed on administrative leave the day after the alleged incident, and it was later decided that MNPS would not rehire him due to lack of certifications.
When Adrienne Battle became the interim superintendent, and eventually was appointed to the position permanently, the lawsuit claims she took retaliatory action against those involved in the decision to dismiss her brother.
Since then, sources tell The Star that Carlton Battle began working for Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS) Nashville, a restorative justice group that is partnered with MNPS.
The STARS Nashville website states it was contracted by MNPS to “help alleviate school-based violence and treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders experienced as a result from the violence” by addressing “violence and the current gap of services” in 14 MNPS schools through “training staff and school faculty in restoratice practices and teaching the school systems how to properly implement it.”
If done properly, STARS Nashville claims its restorative justice practices lead to “a decrease in school-based violence and the gap in services.”
The Star contacted STARS Nashville to confirm Carlton Battle’s employment, and to confirm he was working at Antioch High School during Henderson’s attack, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Similarly, inquiries about whether STARS Nashville was aware of the pending litigation involving Carlton Battle and Adrienne Battle, and how long Carlton Battle worked for the group, did not receive a response before publication.
MNPS and Adrienne Battle similarly did not respond to The Star when asked to confirm whether MNPS is aware of Carlton Battle’s employment, to clarify whether it made STARS Nashville aware of the pending litigation, prior to press time.
The MNPS school board recently approved a $1.25 million contract with a controversial security company to install weapons detectors that utilize artificial intelligence at 18 Nashville high schools after Adrienne Battle said traditional metal detectors come with “limitations and unintended consequences.”
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Carlton Battle” by PlayersPrep. Background Photo “Antioch High School” by Antioch High School.
Still no word on the immigration status of the victims of the shooting and their families. It would seem from comments by another Nashville news correspondent, who interviewed family, that they are in this country illegally. How many, and at what cost, are resources being used within MNPS to accommodate those here illegally that would otherwise be utilized to aid in the proper development of our American, or otherwise legal, children?