"Calling security" on pre-K students :(

[Anonymous]

12:35 - why are you so invested in this being OK? I am baffled by your need to defend the substitute teacher's actions in this case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are going to keep having these problems as long as we don't allow teachers to carry guns.

Hopefully with the new Congress we will make some progress here. Little Johnny might think twice about acting out if he knew his teacher was packing a Glock 9mm.

Liberal troll, or conservative imbicile? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:12, no I'm a parent.

And it's not like the security guard comes to rough up the kid. They come to walk the child to the principal or counselor.

I can't speak about OP's situation. Maybe the teacher is using security as a threat, which is wrong.

However, if you have a child who is throwing a tantrum and might injure himself, another child, or the teacher, then you need backup. If the child goes home with bruised forehead, you can bet that teacher needs to have that injury witnessed and documented.

Personally, I have seen children so completely out of control that they had to be removed from the classroom. And here's the kicker--these were not low income kids with difficult family situations. These were highly indulged 4 year olds who had never once yet heard the word "no." The transition to pre-K was rough for these children. And it sucked to have my kid in class with them and their clueless parents.

Different poster here, but I would like to ask, have you ever *seen* the "security guard" at a DCPS elementary school? Ours is a kindly middle-aged woman who's a kind of auntie to the kids in the school. We're not talking about a team of Blackwater interrogators coming in and putting a sack over your child's head.

The problem I have hear is with the teacher, who clearly has no idea how to handle the situation. You shouldn't be threatening pre-K kids by saying "I'm gonna call security on you!!" There are about a million other strategies to use in situations like these--whether you actually bring in the "security lady" is irrelevant. It shouldn't be a threat.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses everyone. The teacher described a situation where two girls were acting up and physically jumping on the other children while they were sleeping. It does seem like a serious situation in terms of potential injury. I don't know what other behavior has warranted bringing in the security guard (or the threat of doing so). From the way she was talking it sounds like it happens fairly often, and may be more of a way to threaten the children into compliance as opposed to legally documenting a potentially injurious situation.

I do probably need to get more information - I am going to make an appt. with the principal right away. To be honest, I was just so shocked at the time that I didn't ask all the questions that I should have of the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are going to keep having these problems as long as we don't allow teachers to carry guns.

Hopefully with the new Congress we will make some progress here. Little Johnny might think twice about acting out if he knew his teacher was packing a Glock 9mm.

Liberal troll, or conservative imbicile? Inquiring minds want to know.

Eek, Ms. Literal. It's obviously a joke.

[Anonymous]

Why won't OPs ever tell us the name of the school in these posts?! It's maddening really. My child is in PK at a DCPS school and now I have to wonder. Help a sista out. Would you at least tell us east or west of the park? OP, will you at least consider giving us a follow-up after talking to the principal? Many thanks.

[Anonymous]

and what school is this?

[Anonymous]

I am a parent of older children in DCPS but they have been in DCPS since Pre-K. Calling security to come to a classroom for an out of control child is sometimes warranted but it is a BIG DEAL. If this has been necessary for a particular child more than once, the school needs to ask for permission from the parents to evaluate the child.
This is certainly not a normal classroom behavior management strategy. If is suggested to the teacher/school that they are not identifying children that may qualify services through special education I betcha they will quickly look at what exactly is going on in this classroom.
To the parent that feels that this is due to overindulgence by clueless parents (and in some cases it may be) please don't use such a broad brush. May you always have an easy road to travel.

[Anonymous]

This is week 13 of the school year. Hopefully, the teacher is carefully assessing the situation. In a perfect world a counselor, nurse, or another teacher could assist with an unruly student. But a rambunctous child needs to be calmed-down and if the assistance happens to be security, let's not knock-it.

A discussion is definitely warranted with all parties involved and a full vetting of the standing operating procedures regarding unruly students is TOPIC number ONE.

[Anonymous]

12:58, longtime DCPS parent here. I'm not trying to suggest that all bad behavior on the Pre-K level is due to indulgent parents. In this case, one of the problem children was really in need of a special ed diagnosis. Parents were very, very resistant and will probably keep switching schools year after year to avoid. It's frustrating to see a whole classroom's learning derailed by a couple of children, but it's public school and this stuff happens.

I was using a broad brush. Sorry. I felt it was important on this board to make clear that on the prek level, not all behavior issues are relegated low-income kids.

If your DCPS is well-run, chances are the security guards are close to the children. No, they don't have degrees in early childhood education, but often they are mothers and grandmothers themselves. If your principal is good, she has these women on board and they serve to help educate your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why won't OPs ever tell us the name of the school in these posts?! It's maddening really. My child is in PK at a DCPS school and now I have to wonder. Help a sista out. Would you at least tell us east or west of the park? OP, will you at least consider giving us a follow-up after talking to the principal? Many thanks.

Obviously it is east of the park. Shall we take bets on which school?

Barnard
Cooke
Francis-Stevens
Maury
Ross
Tyler
Watkins

[Anonymous]

I can tell you that it's not Tyler. I have a child in Pre-K there, so I would know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are going to keep having these problems as long as we don't allow teachers to carry guns.

Hopefully with the new Congress we will make some progress here. Little Johnny might think twice about acting out if he knew his teacher was packing a Glock 9mm.

Well. you don't have to get crazy about it. A taser at short range sends the message throughout the the class that coloring outside of the lines and talking to your neighbor will not be tolerated from 4 year olds. Deadly force would be overkill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your DCPS is well-run, chances are the security guards are close to the children. No, they don't have degrees in early childhood education, but often they are mothers and grandmothers themselves. If your principal is good, she has these women on board and they serve to help educate your child.

If the school is well run, I would think calling security because of an unruly child would be used only as a last resort or if the behavior was so serious that the child was in danger of harming him/herself or others. Certainly not a normal occurence. Calling anyone in a uniform, who looks like for all intents and purposes like a police officer, would be frightening to a 4 year old.

[Anonymous]

The solution is simple. Use private school where children who misbehave are "counseled out."

14:13, if your 4 year old fears all people who wear a uniform and look like a police officer...well, I hope you've been saving a bundling for counseling. You're going to need it!