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My mother is a teacher as well, and has had to put up with accusations that she struck one of her kids. Does anyone here who is wagging their finger at the teacher for being afraid of litigation know just how much time and energy is wasted on these kinds of claims (when they're false, I don't believe it's a waste of time to prosecute teachers who actually abuse children), and how damaging it is to a teacher's reputation and how taxing it is on their mental state?
The threat of litigation quite literally ties the teacher's hands behind their back. authority is a lost concept on this girl's generation, because people who should have authority over them are forced to act like pussies. This child is not going to grow up to respect authority, she will grow up to fear cops. For this reason I don't think the cops should have been involved, or that the child should have been handcuffed. The school personnel should have been equipped with the ability to take control of the situation instead of being armed with non-threatening gestures and passive words. This is indicative that for cases like this, the current discipline guidelines are ineffective and need to be redefined.
What the girl needed was to be taught the consequences of her actions. The teacher exercised more restraint than I could have mustered, and did everything she was permitted to do in order to try and get a handle on the situation. Does handcuffing a five year old seem excessive? yes. Do I think it was unnecessary? yes. But cops are the only ones legally allowed to physically restrain her. The child was put into cuffs to stop her from injuring herself, others, and doing any more damage. I would like to hear some alternative suggestions from everyone saying how wrong it was to cuff a five year old.
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