The Sheriff has acted quickly to fire the officer whom violently manhandled a female at the high school. The Sheriff noted that while it does appear that the girl stuck the officer, or tried to, in the face, the Sheriff’s Deputy did not follow the department’s protocol.
OK, let’s not get hung up that this teenager may be accurately categorized as a pain in the caboose. Certainly she was quite wrong to strike or otherwise put her hands on the Sheriff’s Deputy. However, given the totality of the circumstances, the officer’s conduct was outrageous. The pupil wasn’t a grave threat to anyone in the class (including the teacher who stood there like he was comatose). I expect police officers to tackle and manhandle someone whom is a grave threat or whom attempts to escape capture; neither situation was present in the classroom on Monday. My question is, was the girl’s conduct truly disruptive, or just obnoxious and annoying? How should teachers handle obnoxious and annoying students? I am of a mind to fire the teacher, too, or reassign him or re-train him. And…the girl and her parents need a very severe verbal dress-down.
The girls and her parents may need a very severe verbal dress-down, but I’m more concerned about the officer’s actions because he’s an authority figure, and he set an atrocious example. Far more damage was done by the officer giving the kids an unfortunate impression of how authority figures should behave (and how they can expect to be treated by the police) than by whatever the girl did (which I heard was breaking the cell phone rules, but I’m not sure).
Somehow teachers dealt with serious pain-in-the-patooey kids for decades without needing to call in the cavalry. Teenagers are obviously difficult to deal with, but the kid’s behavior seems well within the bounds of what any HS teacher should be able to handle without a crisis.
It seems like she only struck out at him when he was flipping her chair. I imagine I would have, too, in self defense. Interesting how the sheriff insists it isn’t racial – the sheriff says he doesn’t care if the kid is purple. Fine that HE doesn’t care, but the question is about the officer’s behavior – has he let white kids have a pass for not responding to him in the past without a body slam? Haven’t seen any info either way on that.
Is he referring to the moment his officer had his right hand around the sitting girl’s neck, exerting pressure through his right arm in an attempt to pull her out of the desk? But she is too large to pull out–her legs are trapped by the desk.
Is there no right to self defense when one’s life is in imminent danger? He attempted to pull her out of the desk, then pushed her down violently, while standing on the side blocking her exit from the leg-trapping desk. They’re next to a wall, and he pushes her down in the direction of the wall. He was lucky he didn’t break her neck on the wall or on the desk immediately behind her.
Any attempt by school officials anywhere to prohibit student phone cameras should be opposed. The USE of cameras and phones should be restricted if they are being improperly used during actual instruction (and of course no locker room or bathroom photography allowed).
This isn’t East Germany and we shouldn’t stand for censorship of misconduct by authorities.
The whole thing upset me, as did the rather indifferent (or was it shocked?) expressions of some of the students surrounding her. Is prison treatment to be expected in school now?
I also think the students (and maybe even the teacher) were trying to blend into the background. I don’t think anyone expected THAT response - or maybe the kids with the videos did. Just what was the girl arrested for? Not paying attention? Texting in class? One article said she was charged with “disturbing the peace” - that’s unbelievable compared to the officer’s actions.
The girl did struck out at the officer’s face in the midst of being upended AFTER he grabbed her neck. It was more an automatic response than a calculated move.
a police officer in classroom hitting a student - this is just painful to read and watch. I am sure that this incident will create anxiety among other classmates as it is a horrifying incident to witness in a classroom where you go to learn.
If you’ve ever personally experienced a situation like that, you’d understand that standing there in stunned immobility is understandable. Your brain just can’t process everything that’s going on in front of you at that moment. I don’t blame any of the kids or the teachers for not intervening-we’re trained not to be aggressive to authority figures.
I saw an interview with a young lady who filmed this incident and was suspended. She said when she heard the officer was called she told other students to pull out their phone because she KNEW there was going to be trouble. I call foul on the school and the sheriff’s office. They knew this officers reputation and as long as there was no proof (sounds familiar), they will allow him to continue his abuse of power. I believe this young person was severely disrespectful, but I’m still unable to see how that equated to this type of take down. I believe discipline needs to go further up the chain to all who knew and stood by.
Yes, it’s clear to me that this officer wasn’t simply enforcing school rules or trying to eliminate a possible threat. He was literally throwing his weight around, evidenced by this threat to arrest the other student for filming his actions or otherwise challenging his “authority.” That he made good on that threat should send chills down all our collective spines. Some of these fellows think that they are STASI or the Cuban secret police. They don’t give a hoot about your “rights.”
Even as a 24 year old white woman, I think I’d be doing the same thing as those kids. They’re trying not to add to the police body count and I don’t blame them.
Just to be clear . . . I’m not blaming the students whatsoever. What I’m blaming is a society where this is OK, or at least not so shocking that people aren’t screaming or something. My gosh. He body slammed her to the ground while she was sitting in a desk. Holy crap. Maybe I grew up sheltered.