Police handcuff kindergartner for tantrum

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I am okay with it. What about you?

..In this Monday, April 16, 2012 …
....MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (AP) —

Police in Georgia handcuffed a kindergartner after the girl threw a tantrum and the police chief defended the action.

The girl's family demanded Tuesday that this central Georgia city change policy so that other children aren't treated the same way. They say the child was shaken up by being put in a cell at the police station.

http://news.yahoo.com/police-handcuff-ga-kindergartner-tantrum-112459850.html

[ Edited to comply with copyright law. ]

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

That's sick.

[Anonymous]

Yup, given the circumstances I am okay with it too, OP.

[Anonymous]

Terrible.

[Anonymous]

Haven't there been studies that show "scared straight" programs don't work, and actually increase bad behavior? Handcuffing a kid, for whatever reason, is questionable, but any "lesson" she may have learned is going to be undone when her parents react the way they did (as I think most parents would) and tell her the police were wrong, which I think they were.

The school and principal should be embarassed that they don't have any other discipline measures to solve the problem, other than call the police.

[Anonymous]

OP here,
"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."

I would think the police could cause more harm by physically restraining the child. Do you feel a police officer should hold the child in a bear hug? It sounds like the jail cell was the best alternative becuase there isn't anything she can rip off the wall or push over on people. If they had allowed her to continue to trash the principals office and she had hurt herself that would have been an issue.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

I'm okay with the handcuffing. The girl knocked over a shelf? That's unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would think the police could cause more harm by physically restraining the child. Do you feel a police officer should hold the child in a bear hug? It sounds like the jail cell was the best alternative becuase there isn't anything she can rip off the wall or push over on people. If they had allowed her to continue to trash the principals office and she had hurt herself that would have been an issue.

I agree with this. They had to restrain this girl. What if another kid was in the vicinity and got hurt?

[Anonymous]

Well, if the child is going to be transported to jail in a police car, she would need to be handcuffed like any other suspect. But I don't understand why she was being taken to jail in the first instance. Why didn't they just suspend or even expel her, and tell her parents they had to come pick her up?

[Anonymous]

sounds like the kid was completely out of control. Presumably the teacher and principal tried other methods which failed. I seriously doubt they would call police because a kid threw a tantrum...they had to have tried other things first.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, if the child is going to be transported to jail in a police car, she would need to be handcuffed like any other suspect. But I don't understand why she was being taken to jail in the first instance. Why didn't they just suspend or even expel her, and tell her parents they had to come pick her up?

Because:

Salecia Johnson, 6, was accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing furniture in an outburst Friday at Creekside Elementary School, Macon television station WMAZ-TV (http://on.wmaz.com/HPb7nr ) reported. Police said the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal.

The girl was being destructive and the school staff could not control her. She was causing property damage and injury to staff. It is inappropriate for school staff to lay hands on a child and they had no recourse but to call the police. The police again could not manhandle the child, so they had only one way to restrain her, put her in handcuffs and take her to jail.

Based on the description, I think the school and police acted appropriately and that the child should be restricted from coming to school until the parents have taken measures to handle such outbursts. The parents need to get treatment, therapy or boot camp for this child. 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.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it's extreme, but they acted appropriately in my opinion. I taught elementary school, and I've seen first graders wreak havoc on an entire school building, but educators have their hands tied in terms of being able to put their hands on a child. These parents would probably be reacting in the same manner if the principal had put their child in a bear hug, or restrained her in any other way until she calmed down. What if they had just let her destroy an office and in the process, she pulled something over on herself and broke a finger or got a concussion? Her parents would be suing the school. The little girl needs help, and hopefully this will be a wakeup call to her parents to get it for her.