Police handcuff kindergartner for tantrum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe the parents consented to have her name and picture published in a story like this. I am horrifically disappointed that the school felt the need to call the police over a 6 year old. While I'm sure the child has serious problems, that just highlights their utter incompetence as educators.

Excuse me, but tell me what are the appropriate and competent ways to treat a child that is so physically violent as the throw furniture including knocking a bookshelf over on top of a principal? Do you want the educator to physically restrain the child? Most normal adults feel that it is inappropriate for an educator to lay hands on a child in their facility.

The problem is the child and not the educators. The teachers did the right thing as did the police. The parents need to deal with their emotionally unmanageable child before she can be returned to a public facility.

[Anonymous]

Is she a criminal or did she have a mental health emergency? I fail to see how a 6 year old can be deemed criminal and locked in a cell. However, this isn't as uncommon as we might thingk. My DD told me of a pre-K student recently being taken away by two police officers (at a highly regarded DC charter). I would guess that the schools in both cases tried things with the students and the students have behavioral needs that mean they need extra support from special education. If I would extend the guess further that perhaps the parents were not in agreement that their children have special needs that need to be addressed so the school needed to do something to protect everyone from those children. If the child in the news article had been identified as special needs it would be highly unlikely that they would be able to suspend the student like that unless she had drugs or a weapon.

[Anonymous]

At least where I work, you cannot expel a child just like that. Maybe in private school-in public school, expelling a child is nearly impossible and involves multiple channels, a lot of documentation, and a lot of time. Even suspensions are tricky and have legal ramifications.

[Anonymous]

A child with behavioral issues like this should not be in a public school. I feel bad for the parents, but public schools cannot handle this level of inappropriate behavior.

Well, if her behavioral issues are the result of/manifestation of a disability there are limits on the ability to move her to another educational setting under 20 USC 1415.

[Anonymous]

At first when I read it your headline, I thought no but given the behavior of the child, which was more than just a tantrum, I think it was ok, but I would have preferred some kind of middle ground. But, most schools are not set up to deal with behavioral problems so when something like this happens, they just panic. I would assume there is more history with this child than this just being the first incident. The parents should be forced to shadow the child until the behavior gets under control if she is a risk to others and herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scared straight at 6? Hopefully the family will treat this as a wake-up call and get the girl whatever therapy she needs to deal with the behavioral issues and fallout. I do believe the police chief owes a big mea culpa. There are ways to restrain a child that do not involve handcuffs, police cars or jail.

The police chief doesn't owe them a damn thing. The child is a brat and the next time it happens, and it will, the parents should be handcuffed and spend a night in jail. Maybe this will scare the shit out of them and they will have to take a class on parenting and undoing the damage they have done to this child by allowing her to throw tantrums.

I wish they would do this in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the handcuffing it's the taking to jail that is so crazy.

If she had hit your child, we would be able to hear your screams throughout the entire metropolitan area. A child with problems this bad should not be in a regular class. Jail cell or padded room, take your pick, but get her out of school so the others kids can be educated.

[Anonymous]

Shame on this town and shame on you people.

Always its okay when it's a minority child. Oh yes, she's a criminal.

Absolutely disgusting. SHE'S A PRESCHOOLER.

[Anonymous]

No way they would have done that to a 6 year old WHITE girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way they would have done that to a 6 year old WHITE girl.

If you want to pull out the race card, play it both ways. "No way a 6 year old WHITE girl would have acted that way." How do you like it now?

[Anonymous]

Golf clap. We made it all the way to the 2nd page before someone played the race card.

[Anonymous]

Wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Golf clap. We made it all the way to the 2nd page before someone played the race card.

It's not a card, toots, when people are handcuffing a kindgartner. It's a sad commentary on life in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way they would have done that to a 6 year old WHITE girl.

Oh, give it a rest. This has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with obnoxious behavior.

What, she gets a pass to throw things because she's a minority? So, minorities are held to a lower level of behavior? Honestly, I'm a minority, and that sounds even worse to me.

I don't care what color the girl is. She could very easily have been a danger to the other kids, and the school acted appropriately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe the parents consented to have her name and picture published in a story like this. I am horrifically disappointed that the school felt the need to call the police over a 6 year old. While I'm sure the child has serious problems, that just highlights their utter incompetence as educators.

What would a 'competent' educator's reaction be? I can't really see how it's even possible to educate a child that is willing to behave like that in school. If she has developmental issues, then, that's another story. But, that doesn't seem the case.