Milledgeville (GA) Police Handcuff 6-Year-Old Girl for Misbehaving at School

[japple]

Source: TV 13 WMAZ NEWS - Macon, Georgia

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/178448/175/Milledgeville-Police-Handcuff-6-Year-Old-Girl-for-Misbehaving-at-School


MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Milledgeville's acting police chief, Dray Swicord, said Tuesday that he stands by an officer's decision to handcuff an elementary school student for safety Friday after she allegedly threw a tantrum.

Swicord said the arresting officer is not under investigation for his actions.

According to the police report, kindergartner Salecia Johnson is accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing furniture.

She was crying in the principal's office at Creekside Elementary before police arrived Friday. The report says the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal. It also says she was seen biting the door knob of the office and jumping on the paper shredder. And, it says, she attempted to break a glass frame above the shredder.



Read more: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/178448/175/Milledgeville-Police-Handcuff-6-Year-Old-Girl-for-Misbehaving-at-School

[FailureToCommunicate]

1. Reminds me of another little girl from the South (minus the handcuffs)

the Police should be ashamed of themselves!

[Sancho]

2. typical...

there needs to be some reality back into education.

[JackintheGreen]

3. Wasn't there any pepper spray?

Or just shoot her. She was clearly a danger to the officer.

[Evasporque]

30. Pepper Spray is for peaceful protesters....tasers are for old people....

maybe cops need a tranq gun for kids...

[DRoseDARs]

4. I just restrained the arms of a man 2x my size having a seizure, the police couldn't restrain a 6yr?

eom

[Massacure]

10. Of course they could -- and they did.

And they used the cuffs to keep her restrained. I would have let her settle down for fifteen minutes or so (with the cuffs if necessary) before sending her back to class and moving on.

Kids like to go on little rampages sometimes, that's just their nature, but they settle down eventually. If she was tearing and shelves and glass cases as alleged, then the cuffs may have been appropriate to facilitate a keeping everybody safe during that cool down time.

[DRoseDARs]

21. So a 6-yr-old is the same size and strength as a gym patron over 6ft 200lbs? nt

[Snake Alchemist]

32. You would have sent her back to class to be around the other children? nt

[Dont call me Shirley]

5. These GA cops seem to be suffering from Napoleon Complex.

[alp227]

6. Unfortunately the authoritarians won the top-liked comments.

http://www.13wmaz.com/comments/178448/175/Milledgeville-Police-Handcuff-6-Year-Old-Girl-for-Misbehaving-at-School

So what would you do if you were the principal, if handcuffing a six-year-old is an overreaction? Her behavior should not be tolerated, but it's hard to believe a six-year-old would be strong enough to hurt adults physically.

[MichiganVote]

7. Oh yes they can and do. Child should have been safely restrained, calmed down, call parents.

But while the public doesn't like to hear it---kids of all stripes do have the cops called on them at school. Yeah I know, people have a hard time with that. Don't know why since we have a lot of people coming into schools with weapons and shooting people.

Her age is a factor but not the only factor.

[Iliyah]

8. Could have been a "stand your ground" law

and just shoot the little girl. Seems like we are going backwards to the Wild Wild West.

[Archae]

9. I've seen a little boy about that age out of control.

All that could be done, (this was in a department store,) was keep people away from the spoiled brat.

The Mom simply wouldn't, or couldn't do anything to stop the kid's destructive rampage.
The kid destroyed several display shelves.

Tearing stuff off the walls and throwing furniture, that little girl was out of control and destructive.
Being handcuffed was the LEAST they could do to stop "Mommy's little angel" from injuring more than just the principal.

[Taureanblack]

23. Sorry but

A child is a child. And if NO adults were willing to BE and ACT like adults and get the situation under control THAT is the real problem. No civilized country handcuffs a child. Period.

[Snake Alchemist]

33. So you would have choked her out? nt

[happyslug]

39. What civilized country are you talking about, in severe cases all you can do is use restraints

Even in the US and Europe, they are children with severe problems of control. Most are institutionalized, so people do no see them, but every so often restraints have to be used on them (i.e. variation of Strait Jacket or the more modern concept of a "psychiatric belt buckle&quot . Now, such restraints are only used when they is no other option (i.e, a Padded cell, or the patient left to do the rampage for the area is structured to permit such outbursts are not realistic options and medication is not effective OR viewed as the worse option i.e. a five to ten minute rampage is preferred to a drug that will put the child under for three to six hours).

Please note I am discussing worse case children. In my Social Security disability practice I have run across just one or two in over 20 years of practice. Such cases are rare, but they do exist. A restraint is often preferred to drugging these children, for the drugs have worse long term affect on such children. Restraints are the last resort, but can still be effective in some circumstances. Thus every country retains the right to use such restraints, but restrict the use of such restraints after everything else has failed.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Parents are going to ask Al Sharpton to get involved, says the story.

Story does not show the race of the poice and admins.

[Odin2005]

13. UGH, the parents are pulling the race card to deflect from their shitty parenting?

That mother told me everything I need to know when she did the "kids will be kids" statement.

[McCamy Taylor]

16. No, the parents are going to ask if the criminal justice system discriminates against Black kids.

And we already know the answer. It is yes.

[Snake Alchemist]

44. She was charged as a criminal? nt

[MADem]

18. The child is very pretty and black. I do not know what the race of the police or principal are.

There was a photo of her on the news this evening.

[nanabugg]

49. How is it that this child's picture and a video, no less, can be shown and publicized???

This is not the race card??? Are white children (minors) pictures shown for similar cases? Usually the media protects the identify of minors? This is BS!!!!

[riderinthestorm]

50. The family contacted Al Sharpton to amplify their grievance

(I really hope they also contacted social services for a medical eval for this poor girl as well)

So the family themselves took it public, fyi.

[MADem]

53. I think the mother might have given permisssion. I can't see any other way they would have gotten

the information. The police would not have done it, I'm assuming the school would not have been so stupid. And I have seen the picture more than once, too.

[groundloop]

12. Actually I think this was totally appropriate

That 6 year old was totally out of control and was obviously a danger to herself and to others. Cuffing that child didn't injure her, and prevented her from causing more harm. I'd also say the adults involved in this, at least from the description, showed a good deal of self restraint.

[christx30]

25. My son (age 5) is autistic and goes into

horrible tantrums sometimes. He's a great kid, very smart, but for a long time it was walking around on eggshells with him. He has broken my wife's nose and dislocated her finger. He headbutted me a few years ago and made me see stars.
Sometimes when he goes into his tantrums, I have to just sit behind him and hold him until he calms down. Takes all of my strength, and I have spent 30 minutes (at home) sitting there and keeping him from hurting himself or others.

[Odin2005]

14. This is what happens when teachers are not allowed to restrain misbehaving kids.

Schools let the police deal with it so they don't have to worry about lawsuits from idiot parents whining that the school mistreated their perfect little angel of a brat.

[Mz Pip]

27. You make a very good point

Teachers cannot "restrain" out of control kids. Just try it and you'd likely to be fired and have a lawsuit thrown at you.

I remember we had a student who got one of those plastic ties stuck on his finger. The teacher couldn't cut it off; the fire department had to be called to remove it.

This kid sounded like she was a danger to herself and to all around her. Could it have been handled without handcuffs? Maybe but with furniture and broken glass flying I doubt anyone wanted to spend a lot of time discussing what other means might have worked.

[Phentex]

36. This is what people quickly forget...

you really can't touch a kid without expecting outrage from the parents. There are stories about this all the time.

I am NOT making a judgment about the handcuffing in this case. I'm merely saying teachers are limited in how physical they can be with the students.

[McCamy Taylor]

15. I vote for not appropriate. She is six. Did she act violent towards the police officer?

Unless the was actively trying to hurt herself or others by the time he arrived, he should not have handcuffed her.

I am going to go out on a very sturdy limb and guess that she is African-American. The criminal justice system always adds ten years to the age of any Black child it comes in contact with.

[groundloop]

17. I don't know about "trying" to hurt herself or others, but there was that danger

From the story:

"The report says the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal. It also says she was seen biting the door knob of the office and jumping on the paper shredder. And, it says, she attempted to break a glass frame above the shredder.

The report says when the officer tried to calm the child, she resisted and was cuffed. "

Edit to add:

I've seen a couple of kids that were totally out of control. Whatever you can do to keep them from breaking things and possibly injuring themselves without causing them harm is justified.

[MADem]

19. I think she pulled a shelf down on top of a school employee. She is black.

I don't know the race of the school official(s) or police.

I do not know if she has special needs or other medical difficulties, but those kinds of tantrums, if they happen regularly, are a red flag suggesting some sort of issues.

We do not have enough information here. I don't like the idea of cuffing little kids, in general, but I don't know the whole story, either.

[colorado_ufo]

20. Definitely!

She may well be having an episode of extreme high or low blood sugar and have no way to express how she is feeling (many adults cannot describe this). Years ago, children sometimes became agitated due to infections of parasites (such as pinworms), which caused symptoms such as incessant itching and/or stomach cramps and nausea. She could be hungry or possibly vitamin deficient.

The method of restraint is far less important than this child's being ordered to have a complete physical checkup. If she checks out all right, and the behavior repeats itself, then it is time to do a psychological evaluation and also have family services check out her home situation. Her behavior could be indicative of other things, such as possible abuse.

[Taureanblack]

24. What you are forgetting is

the police say there is no age discrimination for transporting someone in the back of a police car. Yeah. Sure. If you're Black and in Georgia. People who THINK and I mean actively CARE about children. The cops are so dumb they don't realize what they said. Basically they say they treat everyone they encounter the same way. Really? So 6 years olds get the same treatment as a drunk driver? Or someone selling drugs? Or a bank robber? No. Of course not. Unless you're Black.

[Snake Alchemist]

34. I'm sure her mom will have her checked out. Seems on top of things. nt

[cstanleytech]

22. Ok exactly what is wrong here with this?

If it had been a stun gun or pepper spray ok that would have been excessive force but handcuffs?

[d_r]

26. what's wrong with this = to me

Is that this a kindergartner. The statement from the police that "there is no age discrimination" is an idiotic, smug attempt to say "see we don't discriminate." But it simply should not be true. Minors are treated as a special class under the law in a vast number of ways, because we as a society recognize that they are particularly vulnerable class of people who deserve our protection.

This is a child.

Frankly, I believe that the school let the child down by not being able to respond appropriately to the child's behavior and that the police let the child down by their response as well. Both should be professionals and both should be trained to respond in appropriate ways.

IMHO, too many people are reading this and jumping to conclusions to affix blame for the CAUSES of the child's behavior. And that may be an interesting sociological question. But the point here, to me, are the CONSEQUENCES of the child's behavior. Regardless of the precursors, the school had a child who was in their care and responsibility and for whatever reason was out of control. That's the starting point. I think their reaction was, well, pitiful.

There is no reason that a six-year-old child should be handcuffed and squad carred. Period. There really isn't.

Listen, if you can't deal with a six-year-old having an out of control tantrum you should not be employed as an elementary school principal. Period. If you are going to be in a professional role then act like a professional and do your job.

[Wind Dancer]

28. A voice of reason!

I agree completely.

[Mz Pip]

29. I don't know all the specifics here

but if a teacher or principal is forbidden by law to physically touch a student for any reason, what means could be used to stop this child's behavior? I think this went far beyond the point where telling her to go to "time out" was going to do any good.

[d_r]

31. In Georgia you can paddle a kid

No, this wasn't some unintended consequence of some liberal law

[Snake Alchemist]

35. What would you have done? Be specific. nt

[d_r]

37. Assuming that I can't prevent it before it got to that point

(and frankly I would have), then:

If she can't hurt herself, I walk out and shut the door, and come back in when she has cooled off.

I say that because going head to head with a young kid having a temper tantrum is only going to exacerbate it.

If I thought she was going to hurt herself then I couldn't do that, so I would:

Talk to her in a calm, soothing voice. "It is OK, you are OK." What I want here is for her to get control of her hands and body.

I am reflecting "you are so upset" and I am I-messaging "I am afraid you will get hurt" and I am redirecting "calm down, give yourself a hug like a turtle," "shhh, you're OK sweetie give yourself a big hug," "shhh, it's ok honey, you are ok." Voice tone, calm, even, neutral, matter of fact, reassuring normal volume.

I am not taking it personally and getting my feelings involved, I am remembering that she is a young child and I am the grown up there to help her learn. I am not out of control of the situation and yelling or demanding or threatening. I am in control and I am letting her know that and that she is going to be safe.

If that doesn't work I use a calm, reassuring hold until she is able to gain control.

I get another adult to witness with me.

I am not doing this to show that I have more power. I am being reassuring and calm. I am saying that "I am afraid you will hurt yourself. You can not control your hands, I am going to help you do that now."

With my right hand I hold on to her left, talking as I go, turn her body so that I am behind cross my left arm over her body and holding her arm to her body, wrap my left leg around her body and bring her slowly down on to my lap with my left leg crossing her legs. I am pinning her legs with my left leg wrapped around hers and her arm with my arms wrapped around her. "shhh, you are OK I am not going to let you hurt yourself or anyone else shhhhh" and then I ride it out until she exhausts.

And then I talk to her and praise her for getting under control and I figure out how I'm going to prevent that from ever happening again.

I was trained to safely physically restrain a child as I worked with children in a residential mental health center. That type of training should be part of a special education curriculum and there should be someone with expertise in that in the school. One of the worst things I had to do was take a kitchen knife away from an adolescent boy - I certainly didn't need to call the police to do that for me.

[Snake Alchemist]

38. ROFL. Mark Wahlberg, is that you?

"Assuming that I can't prevent it before it got to that point (and frankly I would have)"

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/01/mark-wahlberg-apologizes-for-911-comments/

"If that doesn't work I use a calm, reassuring hold until she is able to gain control. "

Congratulations, you've just started on your path to paying for this child's Porshe when she gets her license.

[d_r]

41. I'm sorry but that is a little over reaching

to compare what I said to something about the 9/11 hijackings. Read what I said - I would have prevented this from happening in the first place. That's the best way to deal with a temper tantrum, prevent them.

Second, no, you are wrong. I would not be sued for using a proper restraint to protect a child who was in my charge, at least not successfully sued.

[Snake Alchemist]

42. Got it. "Not on my watch".

Truthfully, that policy extends to almost every bad thing that people do.

There is a reason schools have the "no touch" policies.

[d_r]

43. are you an attourny or are you an expert in education?

[Snake Alchemist]

45. My wife is an expert on children and she knows the first rule is to not touch the kids.

A little easier for her because the parents are around.

[d_r]

47. I don't think that is the first rule at all.

Perhaps it is the rule of the location in which your wife is. Some school districts do have no-touch rules. And certainly some organizations/institutions that serve children and youths do.

It isn't a rule where I live. Or anywhere that I have taught. Or the districts in which my students have typically taught. I have often used a "letter writing" assignment concerning no touch policies as an exercise in child guidance courses - I write that to only say I am familiar with the concept.

It isn't a law in the state of Georgia by any means. As I also said before, corporal punishment is perfectly legal in Georgia.

There are also good samaritan laws that protect one from lawsuits when one is trying to protect someone else from being harmed. Which would be the actions in this case - as I said, I would intervene if there was a need to protect the child from harming themselves.

Also professional training and judgement are buffers against such litigation, and as I mentioned I have had training in this area.

I have had to restrain children before, in a variety of settings.

You asked me to be specific in what I would do, and I took the time to write that up for you. But then your replies just seemed sort of short and sniping.

As I mentioned above, I have had specific training in this sort of area.

I'm going to put a link to my vita here, the only reason is to say I do know something about the subject -
http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/Darrell-Meece/MeeceVita2008.pdf

[Snake Alchemist]

48. First rule of us not getting sued into bankruptcy and beyond.

Corporal punishment may be allowed, but I can't recall a recent story it was used and I am sure that is due to legal advice.

[d_r]

51. I'm using the legality of corporal punishment as an example

to demonstrate that "touching" a child does not result is some automatic lawsuit.

FWIW, although you may not recall a recent story about it, children are most certainly paddled every day in Georgia schools. The rate of children who received corporal punishment in school in Georgia is relatively low compared to the other 18 states that allow corporal punishment, about 18,000 children a year are paddled in Georgia (compared, for example, to the 48,000 children paddled in Mississippi which has a much lower overall population than Georgia). Let's see, easy math, 180 school days, roughly 100 children a day? The school districts in Georgia in the counties adjacent to where I live are generally not concerned about being sued for simply touching a child - and certainly not for touching in a manner than it is appropriate, professional and protective.

[cstanleytech]

40. However were the handcuffs

excessive and is it really enough to make it a national news story is what I am mainly asking and personally I dont believe that they were excessive thus its really not a newsworthy event imo atleast, if they had spanked her until she had bruises, stun gunned or used say mace on her then ya I could understand the moral outrage but they didnt.
Now you say the school let her down and I agree they did to a degree however you cant blame the school entirely because its up to the parents to raise their child to become a responsible adult not the schools.

[KurtNYC]

46. New Sesame Street skit: "Elmo does not consent to a search."

"Elmo free to go now?"

(I'm only half kidding. How does a 6 year old know what their rights are? Can she be charged with assault on an officer? what if she grabbed his gun? We should give the power to deal with bratty 6 yr olds back to schools. )

[Beacool]

52. The girl's tantrum went beyond normal acting up.

According to the police report, kindergartner Salecia Johnson is accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing furniture.

She was crying in the principal's office at Creekside Elementary before police arrived Friday. The report says the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal. It also says she was seen biting the door knob of the office and jumping on the paper shredder. And, it says, she attempted to break a glass frame above the shredder.

The report says when the officer tried to calm the child, she resisted and was cuffed.

--------

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.


Mood swings? This child should have been taken to the doctor to find out why she acts up. It shouldn't have been allowed to get to the point where the school felt that they had to call the police.

Typical reaction from the parents, it's someone else's fault. No one ever takes personal responsibility anymore. So now they are going to lawyer up and contact Al Sharpton?

Please................