[OnyxCougar]

Big.... this was NOT a normal tantrum for a 5 year old child. Dude. Over an HOUR?? This was not a "tantrum". This was Jaieesha showing the if she ISN'T in a special needs classroom, she NEEDS to be. I don't want my 5-year old child in the classroom with her, because she's obviously got issues with control and violence. She's been involved with the police before, this is "acting out", not "tantrum". This is NOT normal 5 year old behavior, even in a "tantrum" situation.

All you're seeing is the big bad policemen handcuffing her. On the tape, she doesn't go sit in the corner until she hears that the cops have shown up. THEN she goes and sits down (prolly tired as hell) and tries to look all innocent. It appears she respects the police officers and NO ONE ELSE.

Perhaps (and keep in mind we don't have the history of this situation, thanks to the attorney who posted the video but gave up no prior history of the school, her behavior or whatever..) this is the only attention she gets. She freaks until the cops show up, then it's all good.

Hey OC, your sig talks about personal responsibility.

"Up to a point a man's life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, 'This I am today, that I will be tomorrow' "
- Louis L'Amour

Would you say that that point in a person's life when the dominant shaping forces change from environmental factors to internal factors is near five years old?

I would say dominant forces are between birth and 5-ish. And this little girl OBVIOUSLY has issues. Whether it's a physical problem (ADHD, bipolar, aspergers) or just a behavioral one (parents don't discipline, don't care, don't wanna care) this child has a very long, hard road ahead of her.

Maybe teenagers? Fully growed adults, though, for sure, right? But all parties surrender their self responsibility.

I think the teachers and administrators did their job. They could not control the child, and so called the police to control the child. Teachers are not babysitters. They are educators. When you can't touch a child, or restrain them, calling the police is your only opotion. Why don't you understand that??

And of all them, only the little girl can be excused.

I don't think some of this is her fault, but I don't think this behavior is excused. This was willfull behavior. She was fully aware this was not correct behavior. And didn't care.

Actually, the cops don't shirk their responsibility. But their reaction is utterly over the top. Did you see that part where the girl's sitting at the table and the cop tells her to settle down and do it right now? Ok, achieved. Where's the reason to cuff her?

I want to be clear. I think handcuffing her *at that point* was necessary because they were going to take her away to the police station, and if *I* was a cop, I would not want a violent 5 year old in the back seat of my squad car unrestrained. She could be flailing around back there and hurt herself. Better to handcuff her in the building and put her in the car than try to handcuff in the car.

*crickets chirping* *sound of pin dropping* *deafening silence*

Right. I thought so. There is no reason, no good reasonable reason.

You're speaking from the standpoint of an emotional parent. Step back and look at the administrators and the police pov. It makes sense.

But the spokesman for the police department , Bill Profit, agrees with you:

Bill Profit:
"There is no minimum age for criminal culpability."

Well, yeah, I don't think there was criminal activity here. I think that's a dumb statement.

News flash! A five year old is NOT criminally culpable for a tantrum in class like this. He's toeing the company line, sure, but I want people in these positions, and in postions like the officers, to use judgement, not just dogma.

I agree with you here.

Remember that 911 call from the moron in the drive through? That dispatcher, SHE exercised some adult judgement to not dispatch the cops to enforce a cheeseburger. Her humor and intelligence prevail. Why was that absent here?

This is wrong wrong wrong. When there's a problem with my kid in class, he may have to go to the principal's office. This little girl did. When my kid's having a problem at school, call me. The school did. When my kid's freakin out, calm him down. There were a couple of false starts here, but not sustained.

Yes, the school did just right. They tried to calm. But keep the rule in mind here. THEY CANNOT TOUCH YOUR CHILD. All they can use is words, and as we saw, that did fuckall. They called the parent. Parent never showed, even after 45 minutes. So they took the next step and called the police. Absolutely right.

But when my five year old child is in this kind of awful situation, do not call the cops.

What else are they going to do? The parent didn't show. After 45 minutes. Hello?? What is the school supposed to do? Spend all day dealing with this child's behavior and send them home on the bus? I don't think so. The parent here is the one who could have avoided this situation. Hey, note to Jaieesha's mom: when the school calls and tells you your child is having a meltdown and is in the principals office, GO GET THE CHILD.

If I was the school, and the mom didn't show up in 45 minutes, hell yeah, my next step is the cops.

Don't arrest him. Don't handcuff him. Don't shackle him. Don't park him in the back of the squad car.

Once the cops arrived, the school was done with the situation. Once the cops arrived, it was the cops responsible for the situation. The teachers and administrators don't make the call if she's handcuffed or arrested. The cops do.

Don't do these things and expect to have your job on the following Monday, because if you do, your galactic fucking incompetence endangers ALL the children you're around. You're a failure and a menace. Get out of my face and get out of my school

Wrong wrong wrong. You have thought out the situation, followed district and school policy, and you'll do it again like that last time.

Call your kid's school. Ask them what their policy is.