Volume 5, Issue 1

March 2015

A Publication by the

Certificates Of Employability

2015 Officers
and Directors
Tennessee Association of
Drug Court Professionals
President
Kevin Batts
Vice President
Rick Taylor
Treasurer
Angela Parkerson
Secretary
Jill Barrett
Middle Tennessee Rep
Nan Casey
West Tennessee Rep
Lori Tubbs-Douglas
East Tennessee Rep
Patty Williams
At Large Directors
Doug Beecham
Ron Bailey
Nancy Fallows
Past President
Ex Officio
Tracye Bryant

Judicial Representative
Ex Officio
Honorable Charles
Cerney
TAADAS Representative
Mary Linden-Salter
Law Enforcement
Representative
Ex Officio
Sgt. Jason Head
TADCP Part Time
Executive Director
Nan Casey
Advocacy Committee
Committee Chair:
Ron Bailey
Brad McLean, Director,
Morgan Co. Program
Janet Hobson, Director,
Davidson Co.
Residential Program
Kevin Batts
Rick Taylor

Inside This Issue

Goodbye 2014!
Hello 2015!

Board Meetings Open

To All Members
2
27th Judicial Court
Graduation 2
The Presidents
Corner 3
Day on the Hill
2015 4
Upcoming TAADAS
Trainings 4
Membership
Application 4

By Kevin Batts

A young man walks into the companys personnel office. His resume looks great. He has
strong references, and is knowledgeable about
the business. He is skilled and intelligent. He is
anxious to get to work. Then the personnel specialist flips her interview page over for a couple
of last questions. Lets see, no felonies, right?
Sweat beads across the young mans brow as he
struggles to speak. Uh, yes maam. I got in
trouble a while back. But, Ive been through
Drug Court and Ive been clean and sober for
two years.
The interview takes a decisive turn. Well
need to take a look at that. Well be in touch.
He never hears from the company again.
A new Tennessee law will go a long way
toward changing that. While many companies
are willing to give someone a second chance,
hiring managers were dissuaded by the risk of
potential lawsuits based on the theory of negligent hiring. Rather than take the chance, those
companies would simply pass on candidates
with any criminal history.
Tennessee Code Annotated 40-29-107 creates the procedure for obtaining a Certificate
of Employability. The certificate provides
immunity for the employer against a claim of
negligent hiring if the employee is later accused
of negligence or covered act. The certificate
provides evidence of the employers due care in
hiring, retaining, licensing, leasing to, admitting
to a school or program, or otherwise transacting
business or engaging in activity with the person
to whom the certificate was issued.
The immunity is not a catch-all. Immunity
only applies to accusations of negligent hiring.
Keeping an employee on the job after notice of
certain problems may subject the employer to an
action for negligence. Those situations include:
1) the employee subsequently demonstrates danger or is convicted of a felony; 2) the employee
is retained after the demonstration of danger or
the conviction; 3) the injured party proves that
the employer had actual knowledge that the
employee was dangerous or had been convicted
of the felony; and 4) the employee was retained
after the employer had actual knowledge of the

employees demonstration of danger or conviction of a felony.

The immunity defense requires the employer
to have knowledge that the employee had been
granted a certificate of employability at the time
he was hired.
Drug Court participants and graduates who
qualify for a certificate of employability should
be encouraged to file a judicial petition to
secure one. While the immunity is for the
employer, it is certainly incumbent upon the job
seekers to make themselves attractive candidates. This includes presenting a Certificate of
Employability to a potential employer.
The statute requires a summary of the petitioners criminal history relating to any disqualifying convictions pertaining to employment or
occupational licensing. The petitioner must also
provide a history of employment.
The petitioner must establish the following:
The petitioner has sustained the character of
a person of honesty, respectability, and veracity,
which is generally confirmed by his or her
neighbors;
Granting the petition will materially assist
the petitioner in finding employment or obtaining occupational licensing;
The petitioner has a substantial need for the
certificate to live a law-abiding life; and
Granting the petition would not create an
unreasonable risk to the safety of the public or
any individual.
The new law does not protect employers in
certain highly regulated fields. Those include
Mental Health, Alcohol, and Drug Abuse
Prevention/Treatment; Police Officers;
Correctional institutions; Education; Insurance;
Healing Arts; and Welfare.
You can download the Petition for a
Certificate of Employability from:

http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/administration/
judicial-resources/forms-documents/
court-forms

Page 2

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

Goodbye 2014! Hello 2015!

Milan Recovery Court Closes Out A Great Year With A Positive Outlook For The Future
Milan Recovery Court closed out the
2014 year with growth and positive attitudes towards the new year ahead. Its sad
to see the year end but many of our participants are already planning and looking
forward to many more positive things to
come in 2015. In saying goodbye to 2014,
we had a very busy December and would
like to share some of the activities the
men and women of our court were a part
of.
Milan Recovery Court participants
were among those invited to attend
TADCP 2015 conference held in
Murfreesboro, TN as well as take part in
a short skit titled Out of the darkness,

into the light. While there clients were

able to view a film Anonymous People
which sheds light on the disease of addiction, as well as treated to a delicious lunch

courtesy of TADCP.
On December 19, 2014, Milan
Recovery Court participants and staff
joined the Milan Lions Club and Milan
Express in gathering and distributing
food baskets to needy families in the
Milan, TN area. Volunteers gathered at
Milan Express in Milan and loaded up
their vehicles and set out with smiles on
their faces and giving on their minds. To
see people so grateful and happy during
this holiday season was something many
described as a gift to themselves.
Participants came with a responsibility to
their community and left with a sense of
respect and gratitude for each other.

Full Board Meetings Now Open To All TADCP Members

Milan Recovery Court Closes Out A Great Year With A Positive Outlook For The Future

Starting on March 6th, we have decided

to open full board meetings to all TADCP
Members. Those meetings are held on the
first Friday of every other month beginning at 9:00 am (central time). Each
meeting will last between 1-2 hours.
Online access through our videoconferencing utility will be on a first come, first
served basis. ZOOM (www.zoom.us), the
videoconferencing utility that we currently use, will allow up to 25 participants at
one time, and half of those spots will go
to board members, which will leave
between 10-15 online video or call in
spots during any one meeting. You may
also attend the meeting in person at the

TADCP office (address below). If you

plan to attend in person, please contact
Marie Crosson at mariecrosson@tadcptn.
org or 615-780-5901 Ext. 23 so we have
enough space for everyone. The dates of
the open meetings will be as follows:
March 6
May 1
July 3 (Independence Day observed-we
will announce alternate meeting date)
September 4
November 6

capability. You can access Zoom through

your iPhone or iPad as well, however we
have noticed the connectivity is not as
good so you may experience frustrating
sound or video issues. You can also call
in at the number provided. If you are
interested in the access information for
these meetings, contact Marie and shell
send them to you.
TADCP
1321 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 311
Nashville, TN. 37217

To have the full benefit of Zoom, your

computer needs to have audio and video

Fifteen Graduate In 27th Judicial District

Ceremony To Be Held May 15 In Union City, Tennessee

Congratulations to the Graduates of the

27th Judicial District Recovery Drug Court!
The 27th Judicial District Recovery Drug
Court will conduct a graduation on Friday
May 15, 2015. The ceremony will begin at
9am in the Obion County Circuit Court
room, Union City, Tennessee. Fifteen participants are on track to graduate, which would
make 152 participants having graduated from

the 27th Judicial District Recovery Drug

Court since 2002.

TAD C P
E
v
e
n
t
s

Mark Your
Calendars!
2015 NADCP
Conference
December 2-4, 2015

EmbassySuites
&Conference Center
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Registration InformationComingSoon!

Page 3

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

Day On The Hill Set For March 18

The
Presidents
Corner

Your Support Is Needed For TADCP's Annual Day On The Hill!

DAY ON THE HILL is set for
Wednesday, March 18. We will have
two tables set up near the Legislative
Plaza Cafeteria, which is a prime location for us. We need Drug Court personnel and participants to share their
Drug Court's success stories with state
lawmakers. We will have small gifts to
take around to legislative offices,
along with information about

Tennessee Drug Courts. We will need

your help to get our story out!
We will meet at Legislative Plaza
near the cafeteria at 8:00 AM. The
TADCP tables will be easy to find.
Please contact Marie Crosson at
marie.crosson@tadcptn.org or 615780-5901 Ext. 23 to let her know if
you will be able to help, and how
many people your team can send.

By Kevin Batts
When our most recent graduate, Tracey, completed our drug
court, her talented daughter, Rachel, made a beautiful "One Day at a
Time" cross-stitch for her. It got me to thinking. That's an awesome
recovery mantra, but doesn't the world need a dose of that in almost
everything we do? We rush everything. Multitasking has become a
paradoxical curse of our times. Once embraced as the pinnacle of
success, our harried lives leave us with little "life". The ability to do
more things, faster, and simultaneously, leaves little incentive to be
still.
To be still. To meditate. To contemplate. To pray. To live.
My thoughts wander to the old country standard penned by
Marijohn Wilken and Kris Kristofferson:
"I'm only human, I'm just a man.
Help me believe in what I could be, and all that I am.
Show me the stairway I have to climb
Lord for my sake,
Help me to take
One day at a time."
When the stress of the day takes us down, its time to embrace the
sunset. In the stillness of the night, we should let our bodies and
souls feel the freedom of rejuvenation. Savor the peace of reflection
and save tomorrow for tomorrow.
Back to Marijohn and her country song. She was a brilliant student. Top of her class. She taught herself to play the piano at age five
and was a fine musician, just like her dad. But she also had her share
of tragedy. As a young woman, she lost her dad to cancer and lost her
new husband on the battlefield. Grief-stricken, Marijohn threw herself into a teaching career and grew to be an amazing educator. In her
thirties, she moved to Nashville to pursue her dream as a songwriter.
She wrote over 400 songs and made a bundle of money.
As often happens, her newfound success was not without pressure. Living in a whirlwind, Marijohn found it difficult to cope. She
turned to a liquor bottle in her search for peace. She was rich and
famous and spiraling out of control. One night as she passed a little church, she noticed a light glimmering from the window. She
pulled into the parking lot and went in to talk with a preacher she'd
never met before. Little did she know, it was the first counseling session the young minister had ever conducted. As she sat before him in
a daze, wrapped in mink and flowing with diamonds, she found it
difficult to express how empty and needy she felt inside. The young
preacher, wise beyond his years, contemplated the advice to offer to
this woman who seemed to have everything. "Have you ever thought
about thanking God for your troubles?"
The more she pondered his words on the way home, the more
they touched her heart. She sat at her piano for a few moments, and
the words began to flow ...
"One day at a time sweet Jesus
That's all I'm askin' of you
Just give me the strength
To do every day what I have to do
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today,
Show me the way
One day at a time."
Peace be with you.

TADCPMembers
Enjoy....

Continuing Education Opportunities

(NAADAC andCLE)

Annual TADCP Conference

Quarterly Newsletter
Representation through the
TADCP Legislative Committee

Free and Discounted Training Opportunities

Page 4

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

Upcoming TAADAS Trainings

ASI Training-Jackson
Dr. Thomas Coyne

ASAM training-Nashville
Dr. Thomas Coyne

April 10, 2015

Madison County Health
Department
804 N. Parkway
Jackson, TN 38305
9:00 AM-4:00 PM CDT

April 13, 2015

Goodwill Career Solution
Center
937 Herman Street
Nashville, TN 37208
9:00 AM-4:00 PM CDT

Psychopharmacology-Nashville
Dr. Merrill Norton
May 8, 2015
Goodwill Career Solution
Center
937 Herman Street
Nashville, TN 37208
9:00 AM-4::00 PM CDT

Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals

Membership Application

A one-year membership to TADCP is $25 per person. An organizational membership from 1/01/2014 - 12/31/2014 is $200 for 2-10 members
and $10 for each additional member greater than 10.Please make checks payable to TADCP.
Is this application for an individual membership or organizational membership? Individual Organizational
Please specify the membership organization_______________________________________________________
1. Primary contact person
Name
Title
Organization

Drug Court
Mailing Address
City, State, ZIP

A Publication by the

P.O. Box 639

McMinnville, TN 37111

T
r
a
i
n
i
n
g

Computer

New Horizons Nashville has

pricing set up with TADCP for
computer training.
The following prices are for TADCP
members:
Access - $88 per level per student
Word - $58 per level per student
Excel - $68 per level per student
OLA Access - $67 per user for
Online Anytime
Feel free to call or email for any
additional information:

Ph: 615-850-5919
Fax: 615-251-6925
Email: skomar@NHNashville.com

Phone Number
Fax Number
E-Mail Address