Janelle Brooks, the principal of Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School in Nashville, was arrested in Sumner County and charged with domestic aggravated assault, court records show.
The arrest came after Brooks' ex-husband and 13-year-old son met with Portland Police Department officers on Aug. 20, an arrest affidavit said. The affidavit said the ex-husband, who is the boy's father, told police he was concerned for his children's safety while they stayed with their mother. The boy told police that, three days prior, Brooks told him to leave her house without anything she bought for him, causing the boy to strip down to his underwear. The boy said Brooks then struck him multiple times with a paddle and grabbed him by the neck to the point that he was "wheezing"
for air, the affidavit said.
When police asked the boy why he hadn't reported the situation sooner, he said it was because he wasn't allowed to have a phone or any electronics while staying with his mother, according to the affidavit. The boy also told police he was not allowed to sleep in his bed or sit on any furniture in his mother's home, and that he had slept on a hard floor with no blanket, it said.
When police interviewed Brooks at her Portland home, the affidavit said, she said she told the boy to leave the house without anything she bought for him after he "disrespected" her and that she grabbed a paddle to discipline him. She also said she reached for the boy's neck after she "swelled up at her" and said the boy tried to block her, the affidavit said.
Brooks, 38, was jailed on Aug. 20 into the Sumner County Jail and was released on a $15,000 bond on Aug. 21, court records show. She was served an order of protection on Aug. 22 and is due for her first court appearance in Sumner County General Sessions Court on Sept. 4.
Nashville principal placed on leave after arrest, domestic violence charge
Brooks was also placed on administrative leave by Metro Nashville Public Schools "pending the outcome of an external investigation," an Aug. 21 email to parents said. MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted told The Tennessean on Aug. 26 that her leave is paid. He provided a copy of district policy that gives the director of schools the option to move an employee to an unpaid suspension while awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.
"MNPS will continue to provide support to Warner Elementary staff and families to ensure uninterrupted learning under the leadership of the interim principal," Braisted said in an Aug. 26 statement to The Tennessean.
Angela Bailey will serve as interim principal of the school and work alongside Assistant Principal Chenier Northern, according to the email to parents.
"The matter involving Dr. Brooks is unrelated to her work as principal or to the operations of Warner Elementary," part of the email read. "Because this is an ongoing personnel matter, we are unable to provide additional information at this time."
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville school principal arrested, accused of assaulting teen son
