The response of the Secretary of the School Board is a master class in how to address this:
Wow, pretty awesome response. Hits all the high points.
There will be times when a defiant troublemaker will have to be physically restrained or compelled. Any intelligent, observant person who spends any significant amount of time around a public feeder High School knows this. But you don’t have to escalate confrontations! I’d be OK with a teacher physically dragging my teenager into the hallway if s/he was being disruptive, but I’d be pretty irate if my kid got literally thrown around by some roidraged cop.
Words are good. But I will reserve judgement fully until we see the actions they take. (Tho leave without pay is a very good first action!)
Equally upsetting: In one article I read a student in the class asked the teacher present if they felt bad for the girl at all and the teachers response was “she should have cooperated.”
I feel much safer now that this jerk is free roaming the streets with plenty of free time on his hands. /sarc
Seriously, why the admin leave? Why isn’t he behind bars? Let him sit in a holding cell while they ‘investigate’ an incident that requires no investigation due to the 3 different angles he was filmed attacking a minor.
In addition to be horrible for the reasons already mentioned, I’ll add this:
This violates several protocols.
Step 1: Students that are being disruptive and won’t leave under their own power need to first be deprived of an audience. So, the entire room of students (minus this student) should be removed. Teacher stays.
Step 2: Usually, students cannot be physically restrained unless they are either a) hurting others or b) hurting themselves. Clearly, neither was happening.
Step 3: You never, ever, ever do a restraint on your own. Absolute minimum is two people, three is the accepted standard.
Exactly! I’m no expert but off the top of my head:
A) Ignore her and suspend her later
B) Move the other students out and have a discussion with her
I often wonder if we’re just dragging the bottom of the barrel for teachers that find this acceptable.
Kids, not criminals. Shame on the sheriff’s department for assigning this assbag to any school. If he’s that big of a fuck-up, putting him anywhere near kids is the least responsible thing to do.
Yeah, good point! The video shows only passive resistance - and in response Officer Roidrage, who has weapons configured for easy access on his person, starts grappling her all by himself, thus placing his weapons within her easy reach.
If she’s not dangerous, there was no need to go for the chokehold (or even make contact, really). If she’s dangerous, another officer needs to be present, in case she gains control of a weapon.
So the officer is not only a thug looking for excuses to push people around, he’s also bad at doing it.
Only two facts need to be known about the entire situation…she is a CHILD. he is an ADULT.
No matter how much my 15 yr old daughter is being a pissy attitude filled teenager, rolling her eyes, screaming how she hates me, shouting obscenities, kicking screaming biting clawing spitting at me the most vile things imaginable…even though I am her father. If there was video of ME doing THIS to HER…I’d never see my daughter again. ever. period.
Now, if she did those things, I might not want to…but that’s an entirely different point. He is the adult. She is the child. Her actions are completely understandable and normative for a teenage kid…passive resistance. It happens daily. And anyone who works with teens knows this. HIS actions are reprehensible and vile.
Sorry, no, it’s the bare minimum first action. I’m glad Amelia McKie is taking this seriously, but talk is cheap. This child-abusing animal needs to be cashiered from any law enforcement duties and slapped with a criminal lawsuit for battery and aggravated assault of a minor. And I mean at the very least. Ideally he’d do a small amount of jail time, but that would be up to the court. I fear for any family living with this violent lowlife who takes his rage out on little girls.
ETA: Just so I’m clear, I realize a School Board Secretary’s only direct authority is to ban him from her schools. Now she should get behind and lawsuit and lend her authority to calling on his direct superiors to fire him. But it isn’t all on her. Other people in authority have a responsibility here to protect the community from this thug.
or, when you are that big, pick up the desk and put it in the hall with the student still in it. I had it done to me in school. It’s very effective, non-violent, and usually gets a laugh from everyone involved.
If you are too small to pick it up, just drag it outside with the student still in the desk.
I really wish it were the bare minimum, I really do, but how many times do we hear about cops being put on desk duty or paid administrative leave? This is notable because it is not usual.
And yes, totally agree.
Yes, of course, you’re right. She could have done nothing, and I do applaud her willingness to take a principled stand. It’s just a sorry pass we’ve arrived at where it is notable.
I don’t for a second condone the cop’s behaviour, but seriously? If you’re a teacher faced with a stroppy child and your response is to summon a man with a gun to deal with her, perhaps you need to think about your own career choices?
It’s just a sorry pass we’ve arrived at where cops are not merely permitted, but actually expected to be involved in schools. Where cops are the first resort of a teacher who has been challenged.
I’ve found that there is no situation that cannot be made worse by the introduction of armed men entitled to use violence and deadly force with little or no chance of any repercussions to them. Putting cops in schools is like putting live hand grenades in every teacher’s desk.
There were no cops on duty in my (public, feeder-pattern, forcibly integrated) High School in the 1970s. On several occasions students brought guns to school. Nobody got shot, nobody went to jail - the teachers and principals handled those situations elegantly and appropriately. Why is that no longer the goal? When did we come to accept a system where the goal has clearly become escalating violence and maximizing punishment? What happened to teaching?
It’s almost as though he has absolutely no expectation of the target presenting a threat; and is beating them down anyway.
Probably won’t change the court-issue story of his heroic and nearly fatal melee combat with a perp; but he sure isn’t acting like somebody who is concerned enough to be using force.
