School Safety

Community Task Force

Our community is full of incredibly qualified and caring individuals, and we value everyone’s feedback throughout the investigation process. To ensure we gain the full advantage of community input, the Board of Trustees collected nominations from the USN community in September for a Task Force. Announced in October, the Task Force will ensure rigorously that our school policies & training, student support systems, and reporting practices match and exceed the best practices for independent schools. If you need to contact the Task Force, please send a message to taskforce@usn.org. 

Task Force on Educator/Staff Appropriate Behavior and Misconduct Response, Communication, and Policy Review 
  • Julia Morris, Task Force Co-Chair, Past Trustee, Grandparent ’31 and ’34
  • Jenn Russell, Task Force Co-Chair, Trustee, Parent ’29
  • Libin Abdulle '26
  • Leila Abolfazli, Parent ’28 and ’31
  • McLean Barbieri ’97, Trustee, Parent ’25 and ’31
  • Lindsay Barrera, Operations Coordinator
  • Joel Bezaire, Assistant Head of Middle School for Academics, Parent ’29 and ’33
  • Trish Buckner, Lower School Counselor
  • Kavi Carmona, USNA Member-at-Large, Parent ’35 and ’37
  • Cindy Crenshaw, Math Department Chair, Parent of Alumni ’15 and ’18
  • Rick Ewing ’83, Parent of Alumna ’24
  • Joanna Hall, USNA Past President, Parent ’25 and ’27, Parent of Alumnus ’22
  • Catherine Knowles, Parent ’26, Parent of Alumna ’18
  • Miranda Lee Buell ’08
  • Zinnia Nichols Loller ’25
  • Ruby Meador ’29
  • Chris Mixon, Parent ’27 and ’30
  • Eleanor Molvig '25
  • Shell Phelps, Human Resources Director
  • Kathryn Sasser, Parent ’27 and ’31
  • Bronson Schmidt ’25
  • Janet Schneider, Retired Director of College Counseling, Parent of Alumni ’03 and ’05
  • Saul Sharfstein '25
  • Latoya Townsend, USNA Member-at-Large, Parent ’32 and ’36

Task Force Charge
The Task Force is charged with providing substantive input to the Board of Trustees and USN administration on USN’s current practices, policies, and communication strategies concerning issue response. This input will reflect to the largest extent possible the relevant SAIS Standards and Indicators, recommendations of the NAIS Independent School Task Force on Educator Sexual Misconduct: Prevention and Response, and any other relevant legal guidelines and best practices. The goal of the Task Force is to help identify areas for improvement, propose actionable recommendations, and ensure that USN fosters a safe, supportive, and transparent environment for all members of its community. The Board and USN administrators will utilize this input along with feedback from the currently ongoing independent investigation to make material improvements to (1) the school’s policies, procedures, and enforcement of those policies and procedures, related to the mental and physical safety of students; and (2) the future handling of reports of inappropriate conduct by members of the USN community. Specific focus will be placed on:
  1. Policy Review: Evaluating current policies regarding inappropriate and/or boundary crossing behavior and sexual misconduct to ensure they align with SAIS Standards and Indicators, NAIS recommendations for prevention and response, and any relevant current legal standards.
  2. Response and Reporting Mechanisms: Assessing how incidents are reported, documented, investigated, and resolved, ensuring that systems are accessible, clear, and fair for all involved parties, and reviewing supportive service provisions and approaches to community support as incidents unfold.
  3. Communication Protocols: Reviewing how USN communicates with students, families, staff, and the broader community when incidents arise, ensuring a balance between transparency, privacy, and legal considerations.
  4. Training and Prevention: Identifying gaps in education and training related to appropriate behavior and boundaries for all members of the USN community, including faculty, staff, students, and parents.
  5. Culture and Climate Assessment: Gathering feedback from the USN community to understand perceptions of the current culture regarding awareness, support systems, and how comfortable individuals feel about reporting concerns related to appropriate behavior and boundaries.
  6.  Support Services for the USN Community: Identifying services that should be available to all members of the USN community.
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Contact

Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  615-321-8000
Fax:       615-321-0889 
Email:    info@usn.org

River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218

Resources

USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.