I'm not sure what is going on lately, but here is yet another headline about an incident at a New York City school in which common sense seemed to be in short supply. Apparently, a middle-schooler was removed from school and taken to a police station in handcuffs by the authorities for the crime of...wait for it...doodling on her desk with an erasable marker.
Now, I can think of at least a couple of other options the adults in charge could have gone with before reaching for the cuffs (and reportedly reducing a girl who had an excellent attendance record to tears and causing her to fear returning to school). Maybe the police didn't have to put the child in handcuffs. Or maybe the police didn't have to be involved at all and the young girl could have been sent to detention. Or here's a crazy idea -- perhaps the teacher could have simply asked the child to clean the desk and given her a stern warning.
Is it just me or does this story seem like yet another case of a good rule having gone awry? Of course kids shouldn't be doodling on desks. But was this really the right response? Maybe it's time for some teachers, administrators, and apparently some police officers to get a refresher course on what is appropriate punishment and what is going over the line. Way over.
A total over-reaction to a very minor offence. She should have been asked to clean the desk and given a warning. Now she has been traumatized and had to make a court appearance! What a colossal waste of resources and time. The school and police should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. The school is supposed to educate not intimidate!
this is hight. she should have been given warning, whatever but not the cuffs. she might not be able to return to school beacause of fear…
Someone needs to loose their job over that. It is simply unacceptable for an adult to abuse a child this way and should not be tolerated. That isn’t discipline, it is abuse of authority, plain and simple.