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
maharajiean shorts
April 17th, 2012
3:28 pm
“Hell yes the police did the correct thing. For those that have not seen an out of control child, go in the schools and see what teachers and administrators have to deal with. The idea of the aunt saying they want to bring attention to this so this won’t happen to anyone else’s child. BULL……….. teach the child to respect authority and this would not have happened. If you touch them, you get sued, if you don’t touch them and they hurt someone else, you get sued. It is sorry parenting…………………if my child did that, I would say “take them to jail.” VISIT THE SCHOOLS…………and see what teachers and administrators have to deal with…………A SIX YEAR OLD………………….REALLY???????????????? My mom would have made me think I was dead……..not complain to the police officer. She would have told the police officer to restrain her…………..START PARENTING AND STOP COMPLAINING WHEN YOUR CHILD IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you have been teaching for 30 years, I know understand why our children cannot read or write. Very artistic use of the CAPS and ……just for that nice, creamy effect. Yavo, 30 year teacher…..THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
dre
April 17th, 2012
3:30 pm
Spare the handcuffs, spoil the child.
Deb
April 17th, 2012
3:31 pm
If the parents aren’t going to teach the children how to behave and leave teaching the children integrity and discipline to others, they should back off and let them do it. That kind of behavior warrants that kind of treatment. If you are worthy of the title “parent” you will teach your children how to behave so others don’t have to.
Aquagirl
April 17th, 2012
3:33 pm
Additionally, for the safety of every other child in that school, I say RESTRAIN AWAY.
In the unedited video, clueless mom said her child was shoving other children in the hallway. Enablers like gamom and CH would change their minds real quick if this six year old busted their child’s head open while “having a bad day.” They’d probably sue the hell out of the school.
Jan
April 17th, 2012
3:34 pm
@Jarvis… Spoiled brat does not necessarily mean money…. It can mean a child that is used to getting their way by pitching fits and having tantrums and meltdowns. The parent just caves because it is easier than fixing the behavior.
Case in point, my cousins were dirt poor and spoiled brats. Their parents didn’t do any parenting, just let them do whatever because it was easier that way. The only one of my cousins that survived to be a rational, responsible adult joined the Navy at 18 to get some structure and boundaries in his life. His words, not mine Now he is the parent and has NOT followed his parents’ philosophy.
Barbara
April 17th, 2012
3:38 pm
dear Cast The First Stone,
Give the kid a mental examine and a daily pill, she’ll act like she is suppose to. you are so sweet to think like that. This is just another excuse on lazy parenting….because if there was something wrong with that child…the parents should be doing just that…..getting her checked out…but nope….too lazy to even do that!
Silly Fella
April 17th, 2012
3:39 pm
” Give her valium lased candy”, he said tongue in cheek.
Ole Guy
April 17th, 2012
3:43 pm
It’s all-too-apparent that this kid, like so many/far far too many of her peers, was never exposed to the basic concept of consequence.
dave
April 17th, 2012
3:44 pm
Police continue to give Georgia a bad name in almost every instance. This is a continued example of the crazy police state we live in down here. What an embarrassing place to live. Too bad I’m stuck here. I would never ever have kids in this state.
Not surprised
April 17th, 2012
3:45 pm
I would be willing to bet that if this child had a tantrum at your local Walmart and her parents raised their voice or slapped her on the butt, the most of you would call 911……on the parents.
Donna Outlaw
April 17th, 2012
3:46 pm
If this child is capable of this much out of control behavior in Kindergarten, this child has issues well beyond a “temper tantrum”.
ncgreybr
April 17th, 2012
3:47 pm
Tell you what, gamom….volunteer at a local school for a couple of weeks and see how YOU would survive in a typical teacher’s situation. It’s easy to talk. Try doing the walk.
Boomhauer
April 17th, 2012
3:50 pm
The parents of the girl should be embarrassed and are completely at fault here. Unfortunately I’m sure instead of shouldering the blame and disciplining the child, her parents are probably contacting scumbag lawyers instead… I’m sure the Today show will be in touch as well.
Charles
April 17th, 2012
3:53 pm
OMG! Call Al Sharpton, get the hoodies out. Pluzeese!
Georgia...
April 17th, 2012
3:55 pm
dave… We have a saying here in the south, Delta is ready when you are. How about coming up with your perfect solution to the issue.
gamom
April 17th, 2012
3:58 pm
It is the school’s responsibility to identify children that need help with proper assessments and interventions~ Handcuffing and calling police is not proper.
Tonya C.
April 17th, 2012
4:01 pm
gamom:
You still didn’t answer the question. What are the alternatives? And how are they provide help if the parents don’t see a problem with the behavior? Without parental consent no testing, evaluations, or interventions can take place. The school made no mention of prior incidents, but a suspension until next school year makes me think this was not the 1st time the behavior was demonstrated.
creative
April 17th, 2012
4:05 pm
This is the funniest story I have read in a while. Can we have an agreement that nobody else can use the term…”Really???” or “Seriously???” anymore? It’s just not funny anymore. This story however is a hoot.
creative
April 17th, 2012
4:06 pm
I think the child should be beaten as well as the cop
Use the rod and spank the child
April 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
There may have been a better solution…..tan her backside with a paddle. and then tan the parents backside for being so lax in their discipline. The child was having a bad day, so were any number of mass murders, robbers, rapists, child molesters………..let’s just pat them on the back and say it will all be better in the morning.
RxDawg
April 17th, 2012
4:08 pm
Without any doubt, this was 100000000% the right thing to do. “It really shook the child up” Well duh! The little brat wouldn’t stop trashing the room. There shouldn’t be any consequences for that? My god, they already took the power for paddeling away from the school. What else can they do with out of control kids. The lil girl wasn’t hurt in anyway (but she probably should of been). Anyone trying to defend this girl is EXACTLY what’s wrong with our country and why it’s going down the toilet.
Aquagirl
April 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
It is the school’s responsibility to identify children that need help with proper assessments and interventions
Unfortunately those assessments and interventions only work if the parent has an IQ larger than their shoe size, and is held responsible for their child’s behavior by others. Unfortunately there’s always someone that whines and moans about what else the school should do. Do you have a mirror handy by any chance?
Overreaction
April 17th, 2012
4:11 pm
As usual, it was overreaction by the achool system and law enforcement. The chief of police should be fired because he defended the actions of his officers, the officers should be fired because of their overreaction, and the principle should be fired because if you can’t handle six year old better than that, you should not be a teacher, and if law enforcement can’t handle a six-year-old child better than that, they should be police officers. I hate to say I live only 20 miles from Milledgeville and that’s they typical reaction from Georgia cities and counties.
Max
April 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
@ CH
April 16th, 2012
8:46 pm
You sound like a damn fool! You want the administrative staff at the school fired because this little girl cannot control her anger? No it’s not the child’s fault it’s her parents fault. She should be taught at home how to conduct herself in school or anywhere else for that matter. SHE NEEDS HER A$$ TORE UP!
ncgreybr
April 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Not Surprised…Not this one! I’d call the police if the child get slapped in the face or or on the head but the rear end (as a matter of fact…I’d probably stand there and applaud!)
irritated
April 17th, 2012
4:19 pm
Bad day? And everyone has “Bad Days”? For real? Everyone doesn’t tear pictures off of the wall, knock over book cases, injure others and scream out of control. That is ridiculous. My daughter had another student in her class that acted that way almost DAILY and it took the teacher and the aide both to carry her out and into the principals office. It took time away from the other students (when both teacher and aide were out of the room) and it happened almost daily! It is crazy for a parent to make excuses and say the child was having a “bad” day.
ND
April 17th, 2012
4:20 pm
I have a bigger problem with charging a 6 year old with assault than with cuffing her. Get that kid in the special needs class where she belongs.
Jay
April 17th, 2012
4:21 pm
Once again, our school system is being asked to raise the children of parents who don’t…
Where is the accountability of the child and the parent(s) ?
ncgreybr
April 17th, 2012
4:26 pm
Ya gotta love it….A kid goes crazy in a classroom and tears it up and we have people on here telling us that it’s all the teacher’s fault. If all else fails blame the school system but whatever happens DON”T EVER BLAME THE PARENT!
Thetruthhurtssometimes
April 17th, 2012
4:27 pm
Another mother and child with different names…where her babys daddy in all this?
Tim Murkle
April 17th, 2012
4:35 pm
It’s probably the first form of discipline the child has ever received. Finally she’s learning about consequences for her choices….no thanks to Mom by the way.
Aquagirl
April 17th, 2012
4:37 pm
Another gem from the raw video: clueless mom said she didn’t pick up the phone when the school was trying to call her repeatedly because she DIDN’T HAVE ANY CELLPHONE MINUTES. What a winner.
creative
April 17th, 2012
4:37 pm
We’ll put the thistym on trial!!!
Matt
April 17th, 2012
4:39 pm
Yes, by all means, let’s focus on the school/police response instead of the child’s actions and/or parental failure which lead to this behavior. (sarcasm-a-tron now OFF)
twinkie1cat
April 17th, 2012
4:39 pm
There are better ways to restrain a small child who is a danger to herself and others, as this one was. I would suggest a decent sized adult (120 pounds or more) putting her in a bearhug from behind and holding her until she calms down. There are several other techniques that special educators know. Consult your special education coordinator. Second point, if a child gets that out of control there is something wrong. It could be a bad teacher who has pushed her too far with excessive structure or rules she does not understand or it could be that there is something neurologically wrong with her such as ADHD. Diabetes, precocious puberty, urinary infections, and being hungry can make a young child get out of control. Eating breakfast is very important. She needs to be full of food when she gets to school. She may also have had a bad night or something is going on at home that she cannot handle and no one has gotten it out or her taught her to use words to express her frustration. Suspending this child is not going to solve the problem. It might harm her. She needs to meet with the school social worker, be evaluated for emotional disabilities, have a full physical exam by a physician, and have her home life evaluated including the possibility of molestation which can also cause acting out. The court system should not be involved. Schools are much too quick nowadays to throw children out instead of recognizing what they do as a cry for help and DOING SOMETHING TO HELP. If she is a low achiever she made need another year in kindergarten to gain some maturity and her teacher made aware of what can make her blow up. Then a good behavior disorders teacher can work with her and teach her how to cope when she feels bad. I could see the police getting involved with a 12 year old, but not a six year old.
Contractor
April 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
Max,
CH is a fool. Read her couple of posts responding to me and you’ll really get a feel for how big of a fool she is. Only say a she because of the threat to call DEFACS on me if she was my neighbor, ha ha.
The Ghost of Edward R. Murrow
April 17th, 2012
4:42 pm
Well…I am officially confused by now…I can’t keep up with developments in our TMZ-driven world…somebody on here help me…
…WHICH COMES NEXT?….the hoodie on the floor of the House of Reps?
…the Candle-light vigil?
…the March?..
…the press conference and demand for justice for (insert name of poor little girl)?….
…has the parent (who could not be located at the time) already filed for trademark/patent protection for the hoodies and posters with their poor little girl’s name?
Well, see y’all at the march/protest/occupy school property/hoodie church service/press conference/candle light vigil
Rich Black
April 17th, 2012
4:51 pm
Little brat deserved it.
Who Cares?
April 17th, 2012
4:51 pm
@ CH, April 16th, 2012, 8:46 pm. Only one word needed to describe you: Idiot!
For those who might have skipped this moron’s post, here it is:
“EVERYBODY INVOLVED NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!!!!! The principal, the police officers and whoever else that allowed this child to be handcuffed and taken to the police station!!!!!! If I were the parents, I would seek advice from an attorney to determine if this child was violated in anyway…civilly and criminally. This child is 6 years old and this child is still learning how to deal with life and life’s situations. They are still learning what’s right and what’s wrong!!!!! I have seen out of control children before and I KNOW THEY CAN BE TAUGHT!!!!! Let’s stop placing ALL the blame on a child that’s only been in this world for 6 years…start placing the blame (as far as mitigating the situation by positive reinforcement or seeking help for this child in another program offered by the school system) on lazy, impatient, inexperienced and terrible teachers, principals, etc. You should not be in the school system. This situation just ticks me off!!! How did this action teach the kid? Milledgeville get real!!!!! EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Hmmmmmmm
April 17th, 2012
4:56 pm
@Who cares….
Yes, IDIOTIC is a nice way to put her rants….. But hey, this is the world we live in….
Another comment
April 17th, 2012
4:57 pm
I have talked to several Doctor friends of mine. Theire are certain classes of parents that have figured out for certain diagnosis their children can get them an SSI disability check with a cash payment of about $667 per month. These diag. include ADD, ADHD, Autism, all sorts or things.
Now both of my daughters have ADHD and ADD respectively. They are both very bright and test above the 90% on IOWA test levels. I have had them in Catholic Schools when we could afford the tuition. At my daughter’s 8th grade overnight trip with Catholic School the kids figured out that over 50% of the kids in that school where the average IOWA test score was 92% had either ADD or ADHD. The kids sat around and discussed who was on which ADD medication and how which one had worked, what the side affects worked. What doctors they went to. The big secrets were out, how many kids were medicated. The only thing was none of these kids parents applied their kids for Social Security Disability.
Now go to the minority communities, it is another story. The parents reguarly sign their children up for SSDI, but they never give their Children the medication. They don’t want them to get better, they don’t want them to perform better. Then they would not qualify for the check anymore. I even overheard one Nanny telling another of the scheme how she gets the benefits and doesn’t give her kid the pills, she doesn’t believe in the medication. Plus if they get better you can’t get the check no more. I had a Chiropracter tell me that one mother with 4 children whith ADHD, stopped bringing them after she told them that they were getting better. She told them that she didn’t want them to get better, she needed the check.
That is the big difference, one culture medicates their kids so they can pay attention and function in class. Other cultures, gets diagnoses, to get their kids in SPED, get SSDI, get a big check, don’t give their kids the proper medication to behave and sit still.
Ann
April 17th, 2012
4:57 pm
This child was out of control and what if she had hurt another child. Had they held her down or something of that nature then the parents wouldhave been upset. The way that the parents respnded and others that share the view that it was extreme… The message that they are sending to the little girl is that it is okay to behave in that way and she will continue to act that way and when she is grown and someone knocks her out /or retaliates ..or she is jailed for real then what are the parents gonna say… As my mama used to say…it needs to be nipped in the bud… And to the person that said “odds are she came from a one parent home” Naahh.. My daughter comes from a one parent home and she knew then and she knows now at 17 that behavior like that will not be tolerated. If they had to keep my daughter in a holding cell at that age she would have been begging them to keep her in there becasue I would have been on her like white on rice.
creative
April 17th, 2012
4:59 pm
Murrow,
I was waiting for someone to finally post something decent. I think the correct order is a march through L5P with George Bush signs comparing him to a nazi, then a Nancy Grace 14 day report on the entire case, followed by a mass production of I am Selicia t shirts in youth S-adult M, another march in downtown ATL where everyone wheres handcuffs, then the hoodies, then the Obama speech saying that if he had a sister he would want her to be Contance Ruff.
Good Night and Good Luck…too bad most people don’t know who our boy Murrow is.
Nothinglikeagoodwhooping
April 17th, 2012
5:02 pm
I feel for teachers in todays school system. Some parents are not teaching their children respect, and then get upset when they get out-of-hand, and have to be controlled in an unconventional way. Get real….. if my children, I had 6, did not behave, they got punished…bottom line. I see nothing wrong with spanking a child. A 6yr old throwing a tantrum, as the one that 6 yr old threw, deserves some scare tactic.
bu2
April 17th, 2012
5:05 pm
@Nichole
The majority of the people commenting negatively on the handcuffing obviously HAVE dealt with irate children and either have experience restraining or have seen others restrain those children without handcuffs. We’ve got some Show me people who refuse to believe it is possible unless they see it themselves. But a blog is no place to try to explain what to do. Some things can hurt the children. Some things can get you hurt.
No way
April 17th, 2012
5:07 pm
If my child acted that way I’d be put in jail for the spanking she would get from me.
Artie
April 17th, 2012
5:07 pm
Enter your comments here
Artie
April 17th, 2012
5:08 pm
Little @(*$TH$#8H should have gotten tased!!!!!! Now that’s funny.
Cop
April 17th, 2012
5:09 pm
I feel the officer had to what he or she was called to do to take care of a OUT of Control Kid. The mother said the child had a bad day. No the mother should have went o the school and used a belt. People were hurt and the mother thinks her child did nothing wrong. Well I look at the parents and its shows what the kid has been shown at home.
Take responsibility
April 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
Did you hera the mothers interview! “She was having a bad day” Maybe a little discipline in the house would help!