A 6-year-old Creekside Elementary student was handcuffed, put in the back seat of a police car and taken to the Milledgeville (Georgia) police station on April 13, 2012 for throwing a tantrum in her kindergarten class.
Salecia Johnson was accused of being disruptive in her classroom. She reportedly knocked over a shelf, tore things off the classroom wall, ripped a book, and injured the school principal.
In none of the stories viewed at the time of the post were the names of the kindergarten teacher or principal included. Should their names and pictures have been included along with the 6-year-old's name and picture?
Has the "zero tolerance" policy gone too far?
Should there be alternative discipline options in the elementary schools, rather than a trip to the police station?
Nevertheless, a civil rights attorney said "hundreds of kids have been arrested in the past few years for minor offenses such as: having cell phones in class, burping, refusing to switch seats and inflating a condom in class."
Last Friday, 6-year-old Salecia Johnson was handcuffed and escorted out of her kindergarten class at Creekside Elementary near Milledgeville, Georgia after throwing a tantrum during class.
ReplyDeleteReports say Johnson threw books, tore down things hanging on the walls and knocked over a shelf that injured the school’s principal.
In this situation, one would assume the school administration would deal with the out-of-control child, but instead, a school official called Milledgeville Police when the 6-year-old girl was taken to the police station.
This action seems to be the result of many schools’ move to a “zero tolerance” discipline policy. Some would argue that putting a 6-year-old in handcuffs in the back of a squad car is going too far.
Should parents have been called before she was escorted out of her elementary school? Should teachers be better equipped to handle situations where students act out in class?
Without knowing more of the details of the story, it’s hard to say whether the school’s actions were justified or not. What happened to throw this child into such a rage? Is this something that she is notorious for?
As long as these questions are left unanswered, it’s hard to determine if Creekside Elementary has gone too far this time.
A 6-year-old elementary student was handcuffed and carted to jail for disrupting her kindergarten class. Under the zero tolerance policy the administration could not allow the child to throw things, rip up books, and knock over a shelf harming an adult principal. Zero tolerance impresses automatic punishment for disobeying an stated rule. It does not allow any movement for extenuating circumstances, individual capacities or history of the said person/child. It does not allow people in positions of authority to handle each case subjectively, which in my opinion is very important when dealing with children. A child’s behavior can stem from many different places including mental health, their home life and circumstances within the school itself. A 6-year-old who weighs fifty pounds throwing a temper tantrum can be subdued without handcuffs or inadequate force. An average adult can in fact simply subdue a child of fifty pounds simply by holding their arms to their sides without hurting them even with the child fighting. If a teacher or a principal thinks that the child is going to hurt someone or themselves they can physically take precautions, even holding the child down. Teachers and principals are in charge of our children from the moment we drop them off at school. They are the responsible party once the child is in the building, and parents expect them to do what’s best for their child as an individual. However, zero tolerance has stuck a stick in the wheel per se. If teachers are not legally able to do what they need to do then things like this are going to happen.
ReplyDeleteThe little girl who was handcuffed and placed in a police car for being disruptive in her kindergarten class in Georgia should not have been treated in the manner that she was treated. Six-year-old Salecia Johnson was accused by her kindergarten teacher of being disruptive in class and throwing a tantrum. The names of the teacher and the principal of the school were not released by the press but I think they should have been. The problem with this situation seems to be not just the disruptive child, but also the lack of authority by the teacher to take action and stop the child’s tantrum. I would want to know, if I was a parent, who the teacher was that called the police on my child in order to make sure I could get my child moved to a different classroom or a different school. The police should have never been called in this situation. Who calls the police on a 6-year-old for being “disruptive” in the classroom? If teachers were allowed to discipline students like they used to do when I was in kindergarten there wouldn’t be a problem with “disruptive” students. I think an act of discipline by a teacher or principal instills more respect in a child for authority than calling the police on them.
ReplyDeleteCaleb Hennington
Disrupting class at any age is not acceptable, but I do believe that Creekside Elementary School has taken its disciplinary actions too far. At the age of six many children throw what we would call a “temper tantrum,” but I do not believe that at any point should you put a kindergartener in handcuffs the way that the Milledgeville Police department did to Salecia Johnson. The elementary school should have an alternative plan for students who disrupt class such as calling a parent or guardian or a counselor. The trip to the police station that this young child took will probably hurt her psychologically for the rest of her life. In regards to the names and pictures of the teacher and principal, I do believe that their information should have been open to the public just like the child’s and the parents’ information was. I think that in this situation, it is only fair.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday, April 13th, 6-year-old Salecia Johnson was arrested, placed in the back seat of a police car and taken to the Milledgeville, GA police station due to disruptive behavior.
ReplyDeleteJohnson is a kindergarten student of Creekside Elementary.
I understand the “zero tolerance” policy as I attended a private elementary school that implemented the same rules. However, calling the police on a 6-year-old for throwing a temper tantrum is simply too much.
The school has claimed that they attempted to call the mother seven times before calling the police. Even if the mother did not answer, the police still was not the way to go.
Place the child in detention. Let the child tire themselves out until they cannot go on anymore if that is what it takes. If you are the principal of a school and cannot find a technique that works to control a 6-year-old’s temper tantrum then you are in the wrong job.
As for the police, handcuffing a kindergartener is just wrong. The police claimed that she tried to fight them and therefore they put her in handcuffs. So, are they saying that with all of their “special training” their skills cannot stack up to a 6-year-olds? Even if the little girl did throw some pretty mean punches, are they saying that as adults a child that couldn’t weigh more than 30 pounds was too much for them to simply pick up and restrain without handcuffs? As if handcuffs weren’t enough, they actually put her in the backseat of their policecar and drove her down to the station. Their defence? They didn’t lock her up in a cell.
Schools have simply taken this “no tolerance” policy too far. Sure, maybe students have been arrested for cell phones and such but I know in my high school we signed a contract stating that if we used our cell phones in school and resisted giving them up we would be arrested. We were aware.
Comparing a 6-year-old’s temper tantrum to a student – most likely much older – playing with condoms in class or having their cell phone out is simply not the same.
This school as well as the police department should be sued for exposing the child to such a lifestyle and treating her as a criminal for behaving as a typical kindergartener.
Charmaine Foster
A six-year-old from Creekside Elemenary in Milledgeville, Ga. was arrested for throwing a temper tantrum on April 13.
ReplyDeleteSalecia Johnson, a kindergartener, was handcuffed after being accused of destroying school property.
Geneva Braziel, the superintendent for Baldwin County Schools, defends the school’s decision to call the authorities for Johnson’s behavior, which she described as “violent and disruptive.”
My question is if Braziel was even present during Johnson’s tantrum.
Milledgeville Chief of Police Dray Swicord defends the police’s decision to handcuff Johnson and take her to the police station.
It takes an entire trip to the police station to calm down a six-year-old? Why could a teacher have taken her? If she is so violent then why hasn’t her own mother asked police to help with her daughter as well?
I believe the teacher and principal would be willing to provide a picture if they truly stood by their decision to call the police.
The “zero tolerance” policy doesn’t need to involve the police for every minor issue with behavior, especially if it comes for a kindergartener. It is unnecessary and there are much better things the police could be spending that time on.
The mother, father, or perhaps relative, should have been contacted and other means of discipline should have been taken before police get involved.
Salecia Johnson, a 6-year-old Creekside Elementary student, acted out on her frustrations in the classroom by knocking over shelves and tearing things off the walls. In the process she injured the school principal.
ReplyDeleteBecause of her actions, the girl was arrested and taken to the Milledgeville, GA police department on April 13 after the incident. This is an extreme action to take against a child simply for throwing a tantrum. It would seem that the adults at the school should have been able to take control of the situation without having to involve the police.
Counselors could have been brought in to speak with the girl instead of possibly traumatizing her with a trip to the police station in handcuffs.
The names of the principal and the girl’s kindergarten teacher were not released along with Johnson’s. I believe that their names should have been released seeing as to how they are adults. If a child’s name and picture can be posted throughout media outlets, the adults involved in the situation could have been identified as well.
In my opinion the school did go too far with its actions. There was no reason to call the police over a child having a tantrum. If she was in such a rage the school would have had as many adults as it took to calm her down to keep her from continuing to destroy the classroom and injuring the principal. I feel like the school was just taking an easy way out by involving the police so that they wouldn’t have to deal with it themselves.
-Caitlin LaFarlette
For the 6-year-old elementary student, Salecia Johnson, who was handcuffed and taken to the police station April 13th, her name and face should not have been published as breaking news. Being a minor (a very young minor) it should be to her parent/guardian’s discretion, after being spoken to by public/school officials. However, the principal that claims to have been “assaulted” by the student should have spoken on behalf of the accident and been made public. It gives the story less credibility of making an accusation but not standing behind it or showing your face.
ReplyDeleteIf it was completely necessarily to have her arrested in order to detain her, then yes it should have been done. Children in this generation don’t learn from punishment as in past generations, so their behavior isn’t as polished. If police are needed to control the situation, then yes it is entirely appropriate.
I find this whole situation to be quite disturbing. First, this case involves a minor, so why is she being the only displayed here? Granted she is the one who threw a “tantrum” but what does the principal have to say about the subject? Did the principal feel as if his life was in danger enough to call the police on a 6-year-old girl?
ReplyDeleteWas the risk of affecting a child’s entire life worth calling the police? That poor girl will be labeled for some time now, and this could affect how she grows up.
Another curiosity I have is about the schools protocols for these sorts of situations. Why was the girl given to the police in the first case? Was no one in the school capable of managing a 6-year-old? Sounds to me more like a flaw and a mistake made by adults than a child’s temper.
Also growing up in the public school system post Columbine, I have been around what are called “SRO’s” which are student resource officers who patrol the campus grounds and serve as an authority figure to students. It seems that this Georgia town needs to invest in one.
Teachers are much too emotional to have to capability to call the police in a time of “need”. Because inflating condoms in quite dangerous.
Last Friday, Salecia Johnson, 6, was handcuffed and taken out of her kindergarten class at Creekside Elementary to the Milledgeville, Georgia police station after throwing a tantrum during class.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the police, she was accused of being disruptive in her classroom. She knocked over a shelf, tore things off the classroom wall, ripped a book, and injured the school principal.
In a type of situation such as this, you would think they would actually get their names or pictures on the teacher or principal. There isn’t, oddly enough. I mean, we have the child’s name and even picture shown, but we don’t get anything about the teacher or principal except for the fact that they were there in the action. We want to know if they are okay. After this event, I would be really concerned.
I think the “zero tolerance” policy was a bit too far. Sure, the kid was out of line, you got me there, but do we really need to bring in a police force just to handle her? I’ve acted up many times in my childhood, and the worst I ever got was a call to my parents to come and pick me up. Granted, she wasn’t put behind bars (as far as we know), but I still think it was blown out of proportion. She’s a kid for crying out loud! She’s still learning about how to act in a social structure such as the one we’re in now. I think, if anything, we should use the police for more serious things, such as brutal fights or threats to the school (gun, bomb, etc.), not a kid throwing a temper tantrum. She might have had some sort of behavioral disabilities that caused that to happen. If she was older though, I could understand, but keeping that in mind, this whole “zero tolerance” policy is just too much of a waste.
As I said, I think using the police on a situation like this was overkill. I mean they were even hesitant on the whole ordeal. From the video we watched, I knew the man talking was really concerned about how parents would feel if the police were handling the child. They probably thought the child was actually arrested, and while the officer did claim that the child was not behind bars, some people may think there’s some fishy business being kept here. Rather than using the police, just send the parents to the school, and they’ll handle the child in the best way possible. Take that as how you will.
Salecia Johnson, a 6-year-old Creekside Elementary student was handcuffed and taken to the Milledgeville, Ga. police station. It was said that she was being disruptive in her classroom, reportedly knocked over a shelf and injured the school principal.
ReplyDeleteIn the stories that have been released about the issue, there have been no photos or comments from either Johnson’s teacher or principal. Johnson’s picture and name were released, their names should have been too. In my opinion, if a teacher and a principal allow a child to act like that, there is something wrong. Students are at school to learn, not act out and have the cops called on them. I understand why they called the police, I just don’t think it should’ve had to come to that.
As far as the “zero tolerance” policy goes, I don’t think they’ve taken it too far. I think calling the police could actually be a useful tool in ‘scaring’ kids into behaving at school as long as their not small children. However, Johnson is a 6-year-old girl, how much damage could she really have done. If Johnson had been a full-grown girl that was acting out, then I could see where the teacher and or principal wouldn’t have been able to restrain her themselves and called the police.
A lot of schools now have SRO’s on their campus. An SRO is a student resource officer that is on campus at all times. I think that is an optional alternative to a trip to the police station.
In Milledgeville, GA, on April 13, 2012, a six-year-old kindergarten student was handcuffed at her school and taken to a police station in the back of a police car. The school officials called the police because she was throwing a tantrum and they could not keep her under control. It is also said that she participated in injuring the principal and knocking over a bookshelf as well as other disruptive acts.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe the schools officials who called the police should have dealt with this on their own. If they are in charge of an elementary school, they should be able to handle the students without getting the law involved. I do not think it is right for a six-year-old’s name and picture to be published on the internet for the world to see and not have the persons who were responsible for that included as well. I think it is ridiculous that police took time out of their busy schedules to arrest a six-year-old that was only doing what is normal for a child that age. Not that throwing out-of-control tantrums is okay, but the fact is, there are so many more serious problems that the police in this town should be dealing with, I think they were wasting their time on this small incident. At most, the parents or legal guardians should have been called to come and pick up their child instead of having her be handcuffed and escorted off of school grounds.
I do believe that the “zero tolerance” policy goes too far in some scenarios and not far enough in other ones. If a student who is being bullied is ignored, and the bullies do not get away with their wrong-doings, the “zero tolerance” policy is a good thing. But for police to arrest a six-year-old for throwing a tantrum at school is going much too far in my opinion.
-Angela Haralson
T/TR at 10:00
A six-year-old girl Salecia Johnson was handcuffed by police because she throw a tantrum during her kindergarten class last Friday.
ReplyDeleteBecause of zero tolerance policy this little girl was arrested and taken to the police station.
Johnson’s mom can’t stand this because in her opinion even though her girl over behaved but arresting a six-year-old child is over reacting too.
In my opinion, the main point we make policy is to protect people, not punish people, so I believe Johnson’s teacher or the police should do something to let her stop. This would be much better than just arrested her.
Besides, even though the zero tolerance policy works for some serious situation, but is that really appropriate for arresting a girl who is only six-year-old? We need to think about the long term effect of this issue like how it will affect this girl's future life.
I think it would have been nice if there had been some more detailed information given about what all the child did, and how badly she injured the principal. I can understand the frustration of the teachers and the school officials, but it seems like the situation could have been handled differently before the police had to become involved. I think that the parents should have been called and told of the behavior of the child first. This would have given the parents the option of picking the child up instead of the police having to. I think that the saddest thing about this story is that this child was behaving so badly that the police had to become involved. Children should be disciplined by their parents. If a child acts in this way, the parents are at fault. Yes, teachers and school officials should also discipline students when discipline is needed, but if children would be correctly disciplined in their homes, this would not be as much of a problem.
ReplyDeleteOn April 13, Salecia Johnson, 6, was arrested at Creekside Elementary School in Milledgeville, Ga. after being accused of disruptive behavior and injuring the school principal.
ReplyDeleteAccording to police, the kindergartener through a temper tantrum and was reported throwing objects including a bookshelf that would hit the principal in the leg. Police tried to calm the child, but when she resisted, and her parents couldn’t be contacted, she was handcuffed and taken to the Milledgeville Police Department.
While at the police station, Johnson was given a soda, and waited in a squad room until her less than understanding family picked her up.
Her parents say they doubt she behaved badly enough for police to be involved. “A 6-year-old in kindergarten. They don’t have no business calling the police and handcuffing my child,” her father Ernest Johnson said.
I agree with the parents. Though this child’s behavior might have been out of control, is a 6-year-old really that threatening that police force has to be taken?
Johnson’s photo and name have been released all over media outlets, but the teacher and principal’s identity has been concealed. I saw the little girl, and she was just that, little. I would like to see the two adults who apparently weren’t capable of controlling Johnson.
I feel that if it was absolutely mandatory for police involvement, and that if the officer was in fact physically up to par with police standards, the child should not have been handcuffed, but rather escorted to the car and taken to the station to wait on her parents.
Cases like this are more common than I thought. Shannon Kennedy, an Albuquerque attorney has filed a civil rights case protesting “kids being arrested for being kids.”
She is outraged at the amount of kids getting arrested for things such as refusing to switch seats, cell phones, tantrums and other humorous pranks.
I agree that something needs to be done, and favor with Kennedy. It is ridiculous to have a 13-year-old girl arrested because she didn’t want to change seats in the classroom.
It’s time to start determining what is real crime and what can be handled within the classroom.
A 6-year-old elementary student Salecia Johnson was handcuffed and sent to the police station from her kindergarten class.
ReplyDeleteThe “zero tolerance” policy has gone too far. The elementary schools should not rely on police, like old days. The school itself should be like jail, not freedom place.
The arrest of 6-year old kindergarten student, Salecia Johsnon, for throwing a temper tantrum was very unnecessary and excessive. Creekside Elementary officials and the Milledgeville Police Department did a poor job of only mentioning Johnson as being a part of the incident, rather than including the principal, who was said to have received an injury caused by a bookshelf that was thrown by Johnson. And what about the teacher? The teacher was the one that reported the situation. Could she not control her own classroom? Also, what sparked the tantrum? No one really knows anything. The specifics and details of this story were limited and abridged. Just by standing on the outside and looking into this situation, I am forced to believe that there is more to this story than just the police being called in to restrain an unruly child. The Zero Tolerance policy is going a little too far. Here we have a 6-year old girl who was misbehaving. Instead of handling it like a professional educator would, they call the police. I am pretty sure that the law enforcement has more important things to worry about, rather than disciplining a kindergartener. What about Johnson’s parents? Did Creekside elementary think about calling them in order to resolve this situation? I am not trying to use the “Race card”, but could this have been racially motivated? If Johnson were white, would the police have been called? Things are getting out of control. There need to be better stipulations regarding the Zero Tolerance Policy. Whether teachers need to have a workshop regarding to discipling children, or whatever, something has to be done in order to restrain children and cease unnecessary police involvement.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, I don’t think that the child should be arrested. The child is too young, we can not harm the child in a way that we treat adults. We should give her some care and teach her how to behave in class and in society.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the “zero tolerance" policy has gone too far. We cannot choose to treat a 6-year-old child in a cruel way such as handcuffed her. A child always is naughty and sometimes did something to harm others but that is not her intention. Education begins from child. We need to spare no effort to create the best way to educate them to behave well in class.
There should be alternative discipline options in the elementary schools, rather than a trip to the police station.
Mengdan Liu
Last Friday, police were called to Creekside Elementary near by Milledgeville, Georgia to handcuff and take a 6-year-old child away when she was throwing a tantrum in class. Salecia Johnson threw a tantrum in class and knocked over a shelf, tore things off the wall, ripped a book, and injured the school principal. The police were called in and eventually handcuffed the child and took her the police station and sat her down and gave her a soda. Some people may say that this went too far. The child was out of hand and needed to be stopped. The safety of the students should be the number one priority of any school. Salecia reportedly injured the principal so it is ok to assume that it is possible for her to hurt other student and even herself. If the teachers and the principal had trouble calming the student down and stopping her than calling the police was the right choice. I would not say that putting the child in handcuffs was wrong. Handcuffs are not that dangerous and harmful. They did what they had to do. Taking her to the police station was not a bad thing to do either. A car ride and getting her away from the school and other students would calm her down. They took care of her too. They did not harm the girl at all and gave her a soda and waited for some one to pick her up. The police station was gentle and wanted the best for the girl and the school. If the police department actually hurt the girl than that would be out of line but this was in reasonable boundaries.
ReplyDeleteA six-year-old girl was placed in handcuffs and put into the back of a police car in Milledgeville, Ga.
ReplyDeleteSalecia Johnson, a kindergarten student, threw a huge tantrum that included destruction of school property and even injured the principal.
The police were called, and Johnson was taken to the police station and released without incident. However, at this point the damage was already done. This is an example of the "zero tolerance" policy going way too far.
A six-year-old girl was too much for an entire staff of teachers to handle? There is no doubt that they could have detained her and put a stop to her extreme tantrum. Instead, they involve the police. This girl should be going to time out, not the police station!
This incident simply makes the teachers look incompetent and lazy. They were unable to stop a temper tantrum and were forced to call law enforcement. What should have been nothing more than a disciplinary report became a police report. The matter should have been settled in school but now is a national news story gaining negative attention.