Handcuffing an out-of-control Georgia kindergartner. Was there a better response?
UPDATE Tuesday at 1:22 p.m.: Since writing about this yesterday when there was just the one news story, this incident has drawn widespread attention around the country.
The AJC now has a more detailed story online.
That story states:
Police said a small shelf thrown by the child struck the principal in the leg during the fracas. The child also jumped on a paper shredder and tried to break a glass frame, the police report states. The school called police. When an officer tried to calm the child in the principal’s office, she resisted, police say. She “was restrained by placing her hands behind her back and handcuffed,” a police report states.
A juvenile complaint was filed, accusing the girl of simple battery and damage to property. The police department’s policy is to handcuff people when they are taken to the police station, regardless of their age, interim Police Chief Dray Swicord said. “The reason we handcuff detainees is for the safety of themselves as well as the officer,” he said Tuesday.
The girl’s aunt, Candace Ruff, went with the child’s mother to pick her up from the police station. She said Salecia had been in a holding cell and complained about the handcuffs. “She said they were really tight. She said they really hurt her wrists,” Ruff said. “She was so shaken up when we went there to pick her up.”
The police chief said the girl was taken to the police department’s squad room, not a holding cell, and officers there tried to calm her and gave her a Coke.
The girl was suspended and can’t return to school until August, her mother, Constance Ruff, told WMAZ-TV, which first reported the story.
“We would not like to see this happen to another child, because it’s horrifying. It’s devastating,” her aunt told The Associated Press.
Here is the original post from Monday:
A few folks sent me links to this news story out of Milledgeville where an officer handcuffed a kindergartner for what police said were safety concerns about the child’s out-of-control behavior.
The readers who sent me the link to this story disapprove of the strong police response, insisting there are better ways to contain and calm a hysterical 6-year-old than clamping handcuffs on her. Afterward, the child was charged with simple assault and damage to property.
I read the comments posted to the WMAZ-TV site, and local respondents split over whether this was an overreaction. I expect we will hear more about this story and a more detailed police response.
According to the police report, a kindergartner was crying in the principal’s office at Creekside Elementary before police arrived Friday. The report says when the officer tried to calm the child, she resisted and was cuffed.
The little girl is accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing furniture. The report mentions the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal. Police say they tried to contact her mother but weren’t able to reach her. They took the child to the police station where she was charged with simple assault and damage to property. Because of her age, she will not have to go to court and will not be sentenced.
Her mother, Constance Ruff. says her daughter was suspended and cannot return to school until August. “She has mood swings some days, which all of us had mood swings some days. I guess that was just one of her bad days that day,” said Constance Ruff.
“A 6-year-old in kindergarten. They don’t have no business calling the police and handcuffing my child,” said Earnest Johnson, Salecia’s father.
“She might have misbehaved, but I don’t think she misbehaved to the point where she should have been handcuffed and taken downtown to the police department,” said her aunt, Candace Ruff. “Call the police? Is that the first step? Or is there any other kind of intervention that can be taken to help that child?”
WMAZ spoke with other police and sheriff’s departments. None of them could remember handcuffing a child that young. They say the use of handcuffs would be at the officer’s discretion and based on whether the child is a threat to herself or others.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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499 comments Add your comment
Ann
April 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
@ Another Comment…. Are you serious????? I am a “minority” and I know other “minorities” that have children that have been diagnosed with the same issues that you speak about and they do not get a check for their kids and they do medicate them….. There is nothing in “minority” culture that would prohibit them from seeking medical attention and doing what is prescribed for their child…. If you know of someone that does that then that is ignorance which has no color /culture barrier… It comes in all shapes, forms and fashions….
Jen Willy
April 17th, 2012
5:13 pm
The parents should be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Be a parent not a friend.
Teach me wise ones
April 17th, 2012
5:22 pm
I am a policeman…6′4 285 pounds….. I am called to the school and my presence does nothing to calm this child. I will then use what I call mirrored neurons to attempt to calm her…. In other words, I will speak very quietly and calmly. If this doesn’t work I will speak louder and give verbal commands… when this doesn’t work and the child is raging out of control and the only restraint equipment that I have is a set of handcuffs…. What should I do?
Erin
April 17th, 2012
5:32 pm
I love how the aunt says the kid was having a bad day … I’m sorry, but turning over a bookcase, injuring the principal, trying to break glass and whatnot goes WAY beyond a mere temper tantrum.
If she was THAT out of control, I really doubt the usual methods of trying to calm an upset kid down would work … and a kid that out of control could have done much more serious damage to other kids, other adults and to herself. No wonder they handcuffed her.
TeacherMom4
April 17th, 2012
5:34 pm
Some of the kindergarteners at my school are only a head shorter than I am and probably weigh 70 or 80 lbs–maybe more. If enraged, I doubt I could restrain them. If I did try, I would be in trouble because I don’t have restraint training. There would be nothing I could do besides call for reinforcements and hope nobody was hurt in the interim. I’m not sure what we are supposed to do in such a situation; I just hope I’m never in one.
ElemPrin
April 17th, 2012
5:36 pm
I am a principal of an elementary school with a self-contained emotionally behavior disorderd class. Some of you need to spend a day or two in my building!
Some random thoughts to consider:
1. Many of you have suggested that the child could be autistic or EBD – if she was, she could not be suspended for the rest of the school year – so rule that one out
2. Also, had the child been in a SPED classroom for behavior disordered children, the teacher should have been trained in an appropriate restraint method. These methods do not always work with little ones, but there was no mention of any of these methods being used before the police were called, so I would assume that she is not in SPED.
3. Some of you have said the school had the responsibility for identifying children with such obvious behavior problems. This is true, but we cannot force parents to allow their children to be served in SPED. We cannot force parents to seek medical attention for possible issues. Even if parents have a medical diagnosis, we cannot force them to give children medication. Even if the children are on medication, we cannot be assured that they will get their correct dosage every day. And even if they get their medication daily, we cannot expect that the behaviors will be eradicated.
4. If this child has an identified behavior disorder (rare at age 6) you could beat her every day, and the problem won’t go away. There are behavior modification methods that work with these children, but beating them is not one of them.
5. Even if she was restrained using appropriate methods, that will not stop an EBD child from hitting, kicking, biting, cursing, etc. I am trained in restraint, but I have been hit, kicked, bitten, cursed, head-butted, and knocked down by elementary school children.
6. Some of you have asked about what “set her off.” If she is EBD, it could be something as insignificant as not being the first one in line. With an EBD kid there is rarely a logical explanation for the magnitude of the reaction – that is why it is classified as a disorder. I have watched these kids go into a complete melt-down because the cafeteria had green jello instead of red.
7. To deal with these kids you have to learn quickly that it is not personal. They are rarely selective in who becomes the target of their behavior. But there are also ways of handling these kids to help them discover ways to handle their emotions and their anger.
8. Would I have called the police? I don’t know. I am tempted on a daily basis, but have only had to resort to it a few times. I have seen a 5th grade boy who took 4 adults working together to restrain him from hurting other kids and thought that handcuffs and a police car might be the answer.
9. My bet is that this child has not yet been identified, but may be receiving some type of behavior intervention. I would hope, unless this was the first such event, that she is (was) on some type of behavior plan. I would bet money that this is not the first time the parents have been made aware of her behavior. Based on the mother’s comments, I would bet she is still in denial of the true behavior issues her daughter faces.
I hope the parents will pursue a psychological evaluation of this child while she is out of school, rather than pursuing legal action against the school or police. The bottom line is this child needs help. Regardless of how we feel about what the school did, this child behaved in an atypical way for a child her age.
Gwen
April 17th, 2012
5:37 pm
I think the police did the only thing they could do to insure the safety of everyone involved. As a mother of two, you know if your child have a behavoir problem.
Elem. Teacher
April 17th, 2012
5:42 pm
In an earlier post, Beverly Fraud states that the lessons should have been more rigorous/ interesting and then the child would not have behaved as such. Really? How do you make going to the bathroom, lunchroom, lining up, going to recess more interesting? It is usually during transition times when these children act out. It is obvious Beverly has NOT spent time in a classroom. Many children who have severe behavior problems such as this child have HORRIBLE homes- something no science experiment/ hands-on math lesson is going to fix!!
Roy
April 17th, 2012
5:44 pm
This seems like a lot of hoopla over nothng.
BILL
April 17th, 2012
5:58 pm
THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DECLINE OF PARENTING IN AMERICA. I AM DIVORCED AND HAVE A 7 YR OLD THAT LETS JUST SAY NEEDS HER ATTITUDE ADJUSTED.MY SORRY EX WIFE WILL NOT DISCIPLINE WHEN IT IS NECESSARY. SHE THINKS THEY NEED RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING. I AGREE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE TO BE THE BAD GUYS.
MY WIFE SHOWED MY DAUGHTER THIS ARTICLE AND EXPLAINED TO HER WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN CHILDREN THINK THAT THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.THIS MAYBE WHAT I NEED TO STRIIGHTEN MINE OUT.
REMEMBER THIS.YOU AS A PARENT ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE IN HOW YOUR CHILD ACTS IN SOCIETY.
THANKS TO ALL THE COPS OUT THERE JUST DOING THERE JOBS. WOULDNT WANT A LAW ENFORCEMENT JOB IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
bob
April 17th, 2012
6:01 pm
As an educator, this is disturbing. When are parents finally going to be held accountable? There is a reason our countries education system is plummeting. We have no national pride. We as a country have taken the pledge of allegiance out of some schools. When are we as a country going to finally back educators and give them all the tools so they can help these students become successful. You cannot teach the way you used to out of fear of being sued. Shame on that girl being disrespectful and shame on that parent for not teaching that young girl the meaning of respect. What ever happened to doing the right thing? Unfortunately, good for those police officers and it is unfortunate that teachers and administrators have to take this kind of physical treatment.
canton mom of 2
April 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
the schools are no longer allowed to control the children, regardless of their age! If my children are acting inappropriately or out of control at school, I am all for the cops showing up and taking control of them! I would almost bet this child is a mess at home…the parents should work on that little monster they are raising!
Old Physics Teacher
April 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
Aquagirl at 12:45,
Sorry, I just got back online and saw your post. According to my psychiatric textbooks (as opposed to psychology textbooks), there is a recognized neurological condition that shows up on MRIs for schizophrenia – ADHD does not. Schizophrenia is diagnosed medically by an MD; ADHD is diagnosed by observation by a physiologist (MA/Ph D). Once the symptoms of ADHD are observed, the diagnosis is made and drugs are given. Once the symptoms of schizophrenia are observed more tests are made before mind-altering drugs are given. Schizophrenia does not go away on its own. Supposedly ADHD students can’t concentrate in my classroom, but they can sit in front of a TV with a PS3 playing games for hours on end. ADHD is epidemic in the Southern USA, but rarely diagnosed anywhere else in the world (unless there is a brand new psychologist trained in the southern USA present – then the epidemic starts in that local)
Now I trust doctors about as far as I can throw them, but I trust MDs more than I do Ph D. All I need is a 100 page project approved, and I’ll have a Ph D. I assure you, I’m not qualified to diagnose a medical condition and neither is a psychologist!
ADHD just doesn’t pass the smell test. You can have a kid who is doing poorly in a classroom setting (a boy) – where they have block scheduling and the boy has to sit a long time in a seat without moving, and the boy gets distracted easily diagnosed with ADHD. And the more diagnoses you have, the more you make!
Rather than addressing the problem of having boys sitting quietly in a classroom setting without recess, we diagnose a medical problem rather than telling the school , ‘LET MY KID HAVE RECESS AND RUN AROUND LIKE A LITTLE BOY!!!!!!” They also don’t tell the 23 year-old teacher fresh out of early childhood education classes, LEARN HOW TO DISCIPLINE BOYS!! and “DON’T DRUG MY KIDS!!” My daughter refused to buy her school’s diagnosis of ADHD in my grandsons (Why shouldn’t teachers diagnose diseases? Psychologists do, and many of them only have MA degrees.) When they got older (and got to go outside for recess), and the teachers more experienced, the ADHD disappeared and their grades went through the roof. Little boys are getting over medicated for just being little boys. Boys need firm discipline and plenty of exercise. Little boys will choose up sides and smell armpits. Little boys are argumentative; little boys are stubborn. Old teachers (and old parents) know that. Educators need to learn that.
Sorry for preaching. I’ve had two grandsons diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school. My daughter refused the diagnosis and refused the medication. Both of them are in advanced courses
in high school – with straight A’s, and will go to big name colleges — and can focus quite well, thank you very much. They just had to learn how, and WHY it was important!
Now the problem child here is a girl. The chance there really *is* ADHD approaches zero. The chance that a female has ADHD drops to near impossibility. She may have a medical condition; she may have been abused. As I mention initially, the cause is irrelevant. The action is inexcusable. As Douglas Adams said, “This is a SEP!” Schools are not designed to handle this problem.
PJ
April 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
If this child had been beating the crap out of YOUR child, I’ll bet you would have used any means to stop her. Or would you have tried to ‘talk to her, calm her down’. If the officer had not restrained this child, it’s quite likely that she would have ended up hurting HERSELF, and there would be an uproar about why she hadn’t been restrained before that happened.
Old Physics Teacher
April 17th, 2012
6:15 pm
Aquagirl,
This is the first time I have disagreed with your position. A red-letter day indeed!
mountain man
April 17th, 2012
6:23 pm
“Geez how about a behavior plan people!”
Yeah, I am sure that a behavior plan would have prevented this completely. Sort of like a restraining order. Like that song – Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her in the hospital.
The little girl needed to be put in a straitjacket and taken to a mental institution.
Aquagirl
April 17th, 2012
6:53 pm
This is the first time I have disagreed with your position. A red-letter day indeed!
Physics Teacher, we usually agree because we’re both right, but only *I* can be right all the time.
Anyway, the part I disagreed with was when you said “the rest of you discussing ADHD, show me the virus, bacteria, or defective DNA that causes this “disease,” and I’ll believe it exists.” Even though you can “see” schizophrenia on an MRI, we still don’t know the cause. Nobody can point to a virus or gene and diagnose someone. And just because we don’t know the cause doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent or solely environmental. BTW, there’s some indication we can “see” ADHD on MRI’s, just like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=107091
I do agree ADHD is overdiagnosed. The current school system where we make 7 year olds (of either gender) sit at a desk is nuts. That’s about the most abnormal thing you can do with a child. And we wonder why they aren’t doing so well and need drugs to do this? Duh. I’m glad your grandsons avoided that label.
Having said that, I do think there is something known as ADHD, it’s probably a continuum of behavior and aside from the freakish school environment most people with it would not have any problem…..Unlike whatever is happening in the brains of this girl and her mother. Outbursts of anger and aggression like that don’t fit anywhere in society.
Jayne
April 17th, 2012
6:54 pm
Its hard to see any reason that the cop had any good choice besides the handcuffs. The real questions should be directed to the parents who seem both clueless and responsibility-less. We might suspect that the real blame lies there.
Another comment
April 17th, 2012
7:02 pm
Old Physic’s teacher you have no idea what you are talking about. My oldest child a girl has ADHD and my youngest a girl has ADD. It is very clear and is apparent. They take meds. The meds make a difference. When they don’t take them as my youngest tries not to, it is very apparent despite what she thinks. With my oldest it was first diagnosed at 4. We went unmedicated until age 6, when we got a boring Math teacher along with the block schedule. We had no choice but to go on Meds. I also got left a screaming voice mail by the math teacher “you must do something with your child, she does not pay attention and talks to much, even after I moved her to the first row.” Now every year at open house, I go in and tell each teacher about her ADHD, so they can let her get up and walk around the room. She takes the highest level ADHD medication around.
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Georgians for Educational Excellence
April 17th, 2012
7:05 pm
Some of Georgia’s greatest heroes are our thousands of teachers who work hard and long every day to help our kids learn.
Unfortunately for our teachers, the other students they teach, and the future of our state, children like the handcuffed young girl are not uncommon today.
Ironically, there’s no hue and cry about the fact that effete educrats and pusillanimous school board attorneys have handcuffed our principals and teachers in dealing with disruptive students.
bu2
April 17th, 2012
7:07 pm
@OPT
No doubt ADHD is over-diagnosed. And no doubt excessive TV can contribute to symptoms. But if you’ve seen it with someone who really has it, you would know its real. And girls do have ADHD.
And if it wasn’t real, why would stimulants (Ritalin-one of the most common drugs) cause them to calm down and focus?
It does it because it makes the brain chemistry work better by increasing dopamine.
The Mommy Psychologist
April 17th, 2012
7:24 pm
Enter your comments hereWow. As a child psychologist, it’s pretty clear that this was not simply your average temper tantrum. It sounds like this girl was a serious threat to hurting herself or other people which means she probably suffers from mental illness. The parents admitted she has “mood issues.” In these cases, it’s important to protect the child’s safety. However, most cities have a specific task force that is sent to deal with mental health issues when the police are called so that it keeps the individual safe while still maintaining their dignitiy. This girl was clearly treated like a criminal which was unnecessary.
“The child psychologist who thought she had all the answers to parenting until she became one herself.” http://www.themommypsychologist.com
NeNe
April 17th, 2012
7:51 pm
My Mom would have tore my behind up in the police station. I would have been afraid to go home wiht her. The Mom should be blaming her child not the school or the cops. Parents need to keep their kids in line, so that when they go to school they know how to act.
ElemPrin
April 17th, 2012
8:03 pm
My original comments are still being held in the filter…oh well.
We can talk all day about what her moma needs to do, but if this child has been identified as EBD (emotionally behavior disordered) she could beat her until the cows come home and her behavior wouldn’t change. There are some great behavior modification strategies that might work, but beating is not one of them.
If she has not been identified, unless this is her first episode, you can bet she has a behavior intervention plan and a progress monitoring chart, and is well on her way to a SPED placement. But again, beating her every day would not change that behavior.
Don’t get me wrong, a swift swack on the behind is sometimes the best way to stop a behavior – like running in a parking lot, but if you want a child to stop hitting people, throwing things, and screaming, do you really think hitting her and yelling at her will work?
Old Mike
April 17th, 2012
8:15 pm
Had that been me back in the 60’s. I would have been begging the cops to keep me in jail because a far worse fate would be waiting for me when I got home. My parents grew up during the depression and while once in a while I might have to be “reminded” a second time, I promise there was never a third. My folks were not abusive and myself and my siblings turned out to be good people. I used the same type of “rearing” of my daughter and she turned out good as well. I completely agree with all here that have said the problem started with the parents not holding their child to a standard that included honesty, politeness and owning their wrong doings. It worked for me, it worked for my child. But your mileage may vary.
EBD teacher
April 17th, 2012
8:18 pm
Many have said the child could have serious mental issues, and I agree. However, if she was being served in special education for behavior disorders, she could not be suspended for the remainder of the school year.
mountain man
April 17th, 2012
8:24 pm
This girl might as well get used to the handcuffs. I have a feeling he will experience them many times in her lifetime.
Mom of Autistic Child
April 17th, 2012
9:24 pm
Old Physics Teacher
I do not ask nor do I seek yours or anyone’s pity. There is nothing for you to weep for. I love my daughter and wouldn’t change her for the world. As far as what I believe my child’s rights are: You are correct, my child does not have the right to be disruptive in class or anywhere else in public. When she does have one of her episodes, I do what is best for all involved and remove her from the situation. I do not carry this attitude that people just need to deal with it. The only thing that I ask of people is understanding. To understand that my child is not a “spoiled brat” that is lacking proper discipline and to understand that I am not a bad parent. Every day is a struggle, not just for me, but for my daughter who must work harder than her peers at dealing with her emotions and who has to deal with the ignorance and intolerance of others.
Teacher 1
April 17th, 2012
9:35 pm
I wonder if this child has had an evaluation yet?
Old Physics Teacher
April 17th, 2012
9:41 pm
Aquagirl,
Actually the MRI study on ADHD was not repeatable, and we’re back to square one. I concede the possibility of a specialized condition that rarely occurs called ADHD. I don’t concede it is a viable condition for the normal public.
bu2,
There are significant studies showing adult stimulants act as depressants in normal children and vice versa. Nothing special here. You drug a kid (using a child depressant) into passivity, and he sits quietly just like a little pig-tailed girl making sure the adult-figure approves of her actions. This is not making his brain work better.
“It does it because it makes the brain chemistry work better by increasing dopamine.” Check out the attribution here, and you’ll find that almost all of these “proofs” come from dot org, dot net and dot com sites. Not a dot edu in the mix. The “proofs” are simply the beliefs of the writers of blogs. There is NO repeatability of any of these studies (even the L-Dopa study).
Even the recognized FDA-approved drug studies do not make bald-face claims like the one above. The reputable drug firms always use the word “suggests” and the phrase “believed to work by,” because NO ONE KNOWS how they work because we can’t dissect the brains of a living person!!! When a cadaver is dissected (eww, I’m glad I already ate tonight!) there is no electrical activity and no circuits to check so injecting drugs into a cadaver is worthless.
The studies on dopamine are all related to the Dr. Oliver Sacks study using L-Dopa on catatonic patients in the 60’s (I think). It worked at first and then the catatonia returned.
And Another Comment,
Wishful thinking has made many a “snake oil salesman” rich. Once again watching a little child run around, shouting, having fun, and not paying attention to grown-up is not a sign of ADHD. It is the sign of an active child. I had 4 of them. I now have 5 grandchildren all like their parents. Not a single one of them has ever been drugged. Two of them were their high school STAR students. One of those two was the 4th honor graduate and the other one was the Salutatorian. One graduated from a nationally recognized engineering university with a cum laude. The other graduated magna cum laude. The two youngest were even more hyper and harder to “supervise.” We used to have to put dog harnesses on them when they were little to keep them from running all over the store. One has a Masters in Stat and makes ….. far more money than he should. The other played profession sports for two years. NONE of them were drugged. I’ll “see” your two children, “raise” you double with my four, and then 2 1/2 times again with my grandchildren (Who in addition to being good looking
are honor students currently taking AP science courses in the 10th grade) all without ever taking one does of Ritalin. I have more evidence than you do. Read the edu sites on ADHD, and we can continue this subject.
Whew, I knew the parents of active children were very “excitable” about how Ritalin was “helping” their children, but I didn’t realize just how much they wanted to believe in a “magic pill.”
One last cry for a return to reality. If this “condition” is real, how come you don’t see adults wander off in movies or stop driving cars and have wrecks? How come so many athletes that purportedly have ADHD don’t wander off the field while they’re playing? They’re NOT on drugs. It would violate the drug clause in their contracts. You’ve bought a pig in a pole.
I’ll end this thread with another quote, “A man convinced against his will, is unconvinced still.” I’m afraid nothing I say will convince you otherwise. Good night, all.
missysmom
April 17th, 2012
9:42 pm
Parents should be help responsible. Accountability begins at home.
Bill Wilson
April 17th, 2012
9:47 pm
Of course there was a better response. Up here in Minnesota everyone is (again) laughing at “those stupid southerners”. It’s hard enough to live up here in the cold with these northerners thinking all southerners are goatroping, slope headed morons and then these fools go and do something like this.
Thrash
April 17th, 2012
9:56 pm
Handcuffs? Only if the tazers aren’t working.
gamom
April 17th, 2012
10:25 pm
Geez…even piers morgan weighed in and admonished the school and policd. How embarrassing!
Sarah
April 17th, 2012
10:33 pm
My question is what happen to the parenting skills and the schools from the 70’s till now. Oh wait, The DOE took over and started spending money on administrators and a man came of out the woodwork called Dr Spock and said, Don’t spank your children, don’t yell at your children, don’t correct your children it will hurt their little feelings and they might need counseling. Well now look at these kids. Its everyone’s fault, but the government needs to butt out and the old fashioned paddle needs to be returned to the principles office and promptly.
These kids fear nothing because they know that someone will call the police and parents will get in big trouble for punishing their kids. And some of you are the ones who call the police when the parents try to maintain their kids. But out everyone. Things wont get better till parents can once again PROPERLY maintain their kids.
MissMistee
April 17th, 2012
10:43 pm
Why didn’t the mom answer when the school tried to contact her? I can guarantee that this is not the first time this child has behaved in this manner and I am sure they have had to call mom before. Chances are, mom didn’t want to be bothered and likely felt like the school should handle whatever was going on with her child at that moment. This happens with parents all the time. Since she chose not to respond to their call, this was the result. Mom should be glad that no one put her child in a headlock!! Get that child some help and stop making the police and educators out to be the bad guys all of the time.
B. Killebrew
April 17th, 2012
11:01 pm
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2012/04/i_dont_understand_michelle_rhe.html
teacher3
April 17th, 2012
11:07 pm
I am a teacher that has taught self contained EBD, inclusion,and general ed classes. I have a perm. Disability that causes pain daily thanks to a child that attacked me. The child hurt me more than once…but at least I protected the other children from physical harm. The mental…well that was evident later as they tried to deal with all they had witnessed. This child was beyond out of control and nothing but those restraints would have stopped her. When does the news stop to think about the physical and mental toll this type if violence subjects teachers and other students to? When you are thinking if paying me based on that student’s performance … OR the students stressed to the Max by witnessing this ..do you really stop to think what that means? Someone in the media needs to look into the number of real and possibly permanent injuries received by teachers due to these students each year. I think that knowing just how much our hands are tied would be the more shocking story.
Concerned Parent
April 17th, 2012
11:23 pm
If the parent had from the beginning, had been applying chastisement to this out of control child, which she said was having a bad day, it seems that this child has been doing this for a while. Instead of taking up for this child, which is telling the child that it is alright to tear up school property or any property, please parent, grow up and become a real parent and discipline this out of control child. Its only going to get worse, and the next thing you know, this child will be throwing things at the parent and breaking the parents things. THEN WHAT!!! Spare the rod, and raise a demon.
bu2
April 18th, 2012
10:41 am
@OPT
You won’t be convinvced because perhaps your grandkids were falsely diagnosed. I have a child who a teacher was encouraging us to get checked and we didn’t. Because we have another child who clearly is ADHD and we know the difference. And the drugs work. We resisted it for a long time, but it doesn’t turn them into a zombie and it made a world of difference in behavior and ability to learn. And our child can explain the difference. Adults with ADHD can explain the difference it makes when they get appropriate medicine (for those who do need it). Because your grandkids didn’t have it doesn’t make it something that doesn’t exist in others.
School Teacher
April 18th, 2012
2:29 pm
I WHOLE HEARTEDLY AGREE with the actions taken by the school and the police officers. ANY child that cannot comply with the requests of school administration and police officers coupled with endangering themselves and others, deserves to be arrested. If the parents have a problem with it, homeschool is always an agreeable option. Instead of complaining about how the police handled the situation, they should have went down to the police station with a belt to follow up on her punishment!
Jeannine
April 18th, 2012
2:32 pm
This might have been an extreme response, but if a 6-year old is throwing furniture at the principal this mother should be ashamed. This is what happens when parents aren’t allowed or aren’t interested in disciplining their children. A bad day? Mood swings? This behavior is the kind that should be evaluated by a physycian, and this mother should be charged with something for not addressing the obvious behavioral problems this child has. I have children and while temper tantrums are common in small children, throwing furniture and other items to the point of causing harm to others would never have happened with my children, ever. I agree with the police officer’s decision to restrain her for transport to the police station and I agree with the school’s decision to expel her. When are adults going to be allowed to raise well-behaved, well-mannered, respectful children? You don’t have to beat your kids, but come on people-you can discipline them and raise them to be productive members of society and teach them that actions have consequences.
Babysitter, a.k.a. "teacher"
April 18th, 2012
3:28 pm
There are lots of people behind bars who got there because they had “bad days.” Just saying.
wideawake
April 19th, 2012
6:55 pm
This is an ongoing dilemma in our society. The child was a kndergarten; however, we do not know her overall mental capacity. Kindergarteners can be dangerous make no excuses. The children of today appear normal on the outside; however, there is a recipe for a disaster on the inside; without the appropriate help; this will not be the last time you hear about this child or others. Special Education Teacher.
Hunger Games
April 20th, 2012
1:54 am
To Old Physics Teacher and others:
There actually IS a bacteria that can cause this kind of behavior. STREP. I lived through it with my then 6 year old. Overnight she “flipped”. Her behavior was erratic, and frequently violent. Before we knew the cause, we had to sedate her to keep her from hurting her siblings or herself. The pediatrician actually told us to put any dangerous objects out of her reach. My parents told me we were not being “firm enough” with her. That is, until we went on a family vacation and they witnessed a meltdown. At which point they said there’s nothing normal about that, and she needs medical attention.
I did spank her during this, and all I got was a vacant stare. There was something seriously wrong.
Thank heavens this happened at the end of the school year, or else we would have had to pull her out of school.
PANDAS is essentially rheumatic fever of the brain — it’s an autoimmune response to an infection, most often strep (though research continues to implicate other infectious agents). The immune system mistakes the protein of a certain part of the brain (in this case the basal ganglia) for strep and attacks it. It can look an awful lot like ADHD, but the hallmarks are OCD components and motor tics. At its height, she was barely functional: she could only speak in baby talk, couldn’t write or draw, was afraid of swallowing her own spit, couldn’t walk past full trash cans, counted animals, etc. etc.
I had never heard of it when my daughter was diagnosed. The cure? — Antibiotics. She is fine now, and that is all behind us. I am extremely fortunate to have a very sharp pediatrician who referred us to the appropriate people. Any skeptics may Google PANDAS – it has been extensively studied recently by NIMH as well as other research institutions.
While there may be a rush to judgement about parenting in this case, I caution that accusation because it may not be in the best interest of the child absent a thorough evaluation. This child’s behaviors are outside the norm of “misbehavior” or “bad parenting”, and while I outline my own experience above, I have no basis or authority to evaluate this particular child’s issues.
I am, however, thoroughly disgusted that this has turned into a legal and media matter rather than an effort to rehabilitate this child. No, she should not be allowed to inflict harm on the teachers or the other students. She should be pulled from those classrooms until whatever issue faces her is addressed. The police did nothing wrong, and neither did the school given the rules under which they work.
We, the People, need to help craft a policy that allows schools to isolate such students who pose a threat until parents, medical or social work personnel can be called in.
No teacher should be burdened with these situations. And no child should be subjected to lawsuits when what they really need is help.
Lynn
April 21st, 2012
12:33 pm
If parents don’t handle their children’s behavior issues, the police will.
Ole Guy
April 21st, 2012
2:29 pm
Back in the dark ages, Sister Mary Meanface simply utilized a wooden ruler applied to the six of any-and-all who dared decide that the rules of classroom behavior did not apply to them.
I realize that many tire of the “this is the way we did it in the ole days” routine. However, look, if you will, at the overall differences; the long-term effects:
Current-day methodology: kid misbehaves…entire class momentum comes to a schreeching halt. All meaningful instructional value stops while teacher must, somehow “reason” with a kid who, by virtue of kid’s behavior, is nowhere ready to benefit from any efforts of reason. Resources, of indefinite extent, are mobilized: principals, psychologists, law enforcement personnel…ultimately, the legal community gets involved. In the end, the kid has realized absolutely no concept of accountability for ones actions; no sense of consequence. In the kid’s mind, he/she wins.
Now, lets take a look at the old ways: kid misbehaves…teacher/Nun calls kid to front of classroom…teacher/Nun paddles hell out of kid…teacher/Nun directs kid to sit down…class resumes.
Problem has been dealt with at the lowest level of the educational food chain…. No cops, no psychologists, no crapin’ around…ANY QUESTIONS?
Hunger Games
April 21st, 2012
10:49 pm
Ole Guy and Lynn, please read the post immediately above Lynn’s posted on 4/20.
School Administrator & Psychologist
April 23rd, 2012
10:30 am
I find the discussion on this situation both amusing and disturbing. For those of you who say “the child learned the behavior at home”, what do you think suspending the kid will do? Guess what, the kid just learned that acting out to this level will get them sent home. The next time she is in school, the odds are higher that this student will throw a tantrum as big or bigger to get sent home.
I believe the root of the problem is that many people rely on the school to teach appropriate school behavior because they either don’t know how to do it themselves, or are too busy trying to put food on the table. The catch is that we are not training school staff to deal with behaviors either. How many of the comments above were from school staff that ask “what else can we do?”
I have found that people go into teaching because they like and/or did well in school. Rarely to you find a teacher that suffered from behavior problems when they were students. The students that “do what they are supposed to do because you tell them to” become teachers that can’t fathom why some students do not respond to this intervention. This is due, in large part, to our teacher education programs training them how to help students with reading problems, students with math problems, but not students with behavior problems.
If we are going to ask parents and not schools to teach appropriate behaviors, then we need to show them how to do it. If we are going to ask schools to take care of behaviors, then we need to train teachers how to do that. Right now, we are not doing either of these. If we keep going down this path then when this kindergartener grows up and has her own kids, she will have no idea how to teach her own children appropriate behavior. And the cycle will continue.