SC - Columbia - Sheriff Slams Female Student to Floor In Class - #2

[JeannaT]

Hmm, wonder why the students who walked out of class, causing a disruption were not manhandled by the SRO like the student who was using her phone in class? Odd that there should be such a disparity in the treatment of children who are equally in violation of school rules? What is the thought process there?

Reading between the lines, I think they had permission to do this. It was clearly an organized thing - the students all walked from class to a specific on-campus area, and after 10 minutes were directed back to class, which they did in an orderly fashion. My guess is, some of the leaders had cleared this and heard the rules: make it orderly, no one leaves campus, disperse when told to. Sometimes, you can seek special permission to have an event on campus. Like mum sales during lunch. And that's why. Because it was a completely and totally different event. One was open defiance that demanded a response, one was a pre-sanctioned event during the school day.

 

[CCmakes3]

Thanks for the new thread!

Okay. So a lot of posters think a better solution than physically dragging her out of her desk would be to let her stay there, and assign her other punishments at a later time. In school suspensions, Saturday detention, that sort of thing. And I agree with that for some cases.

The problem is, ISS and detentions tend to have MUCH more strict rules, and MUCH more in your face demands for behavior. Get your head up off your desk right now. Don't slouch. Stop talking, that's it, you just signed yourself up for another Saturday detention.

IMHO, that would have only further delayed the confrontation where someone would have to physically force this child to comply. You have to be VERY VERY compliant to get through ISS and Detention without being assigned more.

I think "passing the buck" to an ISS teacher or a detention monitor would only kick the problem further down the road, and that is that this girl will not respond to direct instruction from people who are in legitimate authority.

I tend to agree. The principal at my son's school was shot and the vice principal KILLED by a student she had suspended in the days prior. With all the school shootings going on, we need to be wary of students who are unwilling to comply with simple rules and requests. It is one of those "warning signs" that the media are so quick to criticize teachers for "ignoring" after the fact, when often times there was in fact an ATTEMPT to address it.

Eta: My son's school had "lockdown practice" yesterday. What should be done with a student who refuses to participate? Should they be allowed to remain in their seat texting their friends while everyone else turns out the light, locks the door and moves to the designated safe area? Should students be allowed to opt out of fire drills if they do not feel like getting up?

 

[JeannaT]

Hmm, wonder why the students who walked out of class, causing a disruption were not manhandled by the SRO like the student who was using her phone in class? Odd that there should be such a disparity in the treatment of children who are equally in violation of school rules? What is the thought process there?

I want to respond to your post again, with another thought. The "thought process" here, is discernment. To be able to see differences in events. It's the refusal to see differences in events that has caused schools to adopt "zero tolerance" policies, and punish the kids who bring a butter knife to school in their lunches and kids who bring switchblades in their backpacks the same. To punish the kid who offers his asthma inhaler to a friend who is gasping for air the same as a student who passes around hydrocodone. I think it's because people who violate the rules are bent on pointing to others who didn't have the same intent, and demand that everyone be treated equally, and take reason and discernment out of the equation.

These two incidents - the defiant girl, and the peaceful expression of dismay, are two different things and if we allow people to insist they are the same, we've handed in our ability to effectively govern. Those who see the obvious differences should be allowed to run the schools, and those who can't see the differences should put their talents in other directions besides school supervision.

 

[DexterMorgan]

That's the way it goes.

It's going to get worse before it gets better for police officers. Why should they be subjected to firings and civil lawsuits for just doing their jobs.

I think it's time for them to retreat. JMO

Because he wouldn't have done that to his niece or a girlfriend's daughter or a family member female teen in that same situation. So it is hypocritical of him to think that it was okay to do that to someone else's child. Jmo

 

[bessie]

ADMIN NOTE: Victim or not, the student is a minor. We WILL respect her privacy, and that extends to her family!

 

[DexterMorgan]

The cop was fired because he probably has enough complaints that was added up. Usually it's just a suspension with pay until a review. So maybe he had conduct issues before this. Sometimes an employer will look for that one straw to get you canned.

So maybe the principal didn't like him either and recommended to his bosses that he be fired. Idk

 

[Hope4More]

My guess is the group of lawbreakers were mostly athletes. Officer Fields did a lot of work with the football team and in my experience athletes get away with a lot of crap. Teachers and admin look the other way.

It's also possible the teachers and admin think the beating was necessary and the firing unfair.

Those poor kids.

JMO.

Good thing the protest is on video too. Look for yourself. Those are black brown and white boys and lots of girls and not a single one looks particularly athletic.

Remarkable that 100 kids felt strongly enough about what they perceive to be a miscarriage of justice to actually DO something, and yet they're criticized by some here, or portrayed as entitled stooges. Talk about selective "justice."

 

[bluesneakers]

Because he wouldn't have done that to his niece or a girlfriend's daughter or a family member female teen in that same situation. So it is hypocritical of him to think that it was okay to do that to someone else's child. Jmo

He wouldn't have done it to one of his football players either.

JMO.

 

[JeannaT]

The cop was fired because he probably has enough complaints that was added up. Usually it's just being suspension with pay until a review. So maybe he had conduct issues before this. Sometimes an employer will look for that one straw to get you canned.

So maybe the principal didn't like him either and recommended to his bosses that he be fired. Idk

That would be an interesting guess, but the sheriff has made it clear he has an unblemished record and even received a community service award - positive communities - or something like that, last year.

He was fired for this one complete loss of discretion in how he handled this one very belligerant student who posed a physical challenge to his efforts to get her to leave the classroom, which began very peacefully with attempts to ask her respectfully.

In situations like this, a lot of people do like to step in and say stuff like "the cop was fired because he probably". No, he wasn't.

 

[Hope4More]

The cop was fired because he probably has enough complaints that was added up. Usually it's just a suspension with pay until a review. So maybe he had conduct issues before this. Sometimes an employer will look for that one straw to get you canned.

So maybe the principal didn't like him either and recommended to his bosses that he be fired. Idk

Actually there were zero complaints against him at either of the schools in which he worked having to do with excessive force or the like.

 

[bluesneakers]

The cop was fired because he probably has enough complaints that was added up. Usually it's just a suspension with pay until a review. So maybe he had conduct issues before this. Sometimes an employer will look for that one straw to get you canned.

So maybe the principal didn't like him either and recommended to his bosses that he be fired. Idk

We know of two or three other cases now? I think two and a trial coming up in January. I'm sure there are others. The way he was fired immediately spoke volumes. When do we ever see that happen? It was especially odd for the Sheriff to fire him right away like that while at the same time saying he has the third video, the one that shows her as the aggressor. If there really were a video of her punching him he would still have his job. JMO.

 

[JeannaT]

We know of two or three other cases now? I think two and a trial coming up in January. I'm sure there are others. The way he was fired immediately spoke volumes. When do we ever see that happen? It was especially odd for the Sheriff to fire him right away like that while at the same time saying he has the third video, the one that shows her as the aggressor. If there really were a video of her punching him he would still have his job. JMO.

All the sheriff needed to see, was that the takedown was a technique not sanctioned or taught in their academy. That's it. And he was fired for that fireable offense.

It's refreshing to see someone act with a clear set of rules, and not take months and months about it. The girl was at fault, she started it, she's been charged with a crime. The separate issue, not related to the fact she started it, is that he used a dangerous procedure, which was clear on video, and was fired.

 

[Hope4More]

No, there is zero difference. The only difference is that you agree with the student’s that walked out, you don’t agree with what the girl did.

There is every difference imaginable. Good teachers encourage students to learn how to express dissent in a constructive way. 100 students learned that day it feels good to care about injustice and to oppose it, peacefully, and to have their voices heard. That's a powerful and extremely positive thing to learn. That they obeyed instruction to go back to class rather than to exploit the opportunity is pretty impressive.

On the other hand is a girl who broke a rule (trifling) and kept on going (alarming). IMO she was looking for a showdown, though I doubt she could possibly have anticipated how far it would go.

What Fields did was wrong and IMO, terrible. But as I have said from the beginning, the first wrong is having police officers in schools called in to classrooms to handle anything short of preventing or stopping physical violence or harm.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I'm quite sure the Sheriff interviewed witnesses, such as the teacher, that observed the girl's behavior. I don't believe the school would call in a deputy over a minor infraction. Part of the proof is in the video. She continued the defiance after the deputy arrived on the scene.

Who may or may not have had a vested interest in portraying the girl's behavior as worse than it was.

 

[kimlynn]

We know of two or three other cases now? I think two and a trial coming up in January. I'm sure there are others. The way he was fired immediately spoke volumes. When do we ever see that happen? It was especially odd for the Sheriff to fire him right away like that while at the same time saying he has the third video, the one that shows her as the aggressor. If there really were a video of her punching him he would still have his job. JMO.

I was trying to add them up just the other day. I thought maybe five if you count the complaint that was dismissed as well as this one.
Did anyone catch the video about a week ago on CBS news online?
I tried to bring it over but the site was acting wonky.
A woman said she saw video off this incident and said it was the same officer that had roughed up her autistic child.
She had a picture of him that showed scratches on his chest and a torn shirt.
I'm going to look for it but in the meantime...IMO

 

[Hope4More]

There should be NO grappling of a minor child by an adult. I cannot believe anyone thinks this is ever okay.

Last time I preface or end by saying Fields' use of force was obviously excessive and wrong. BUT. If you can't imagine any situation in which it is OK for an adult to "grapple" with a minor you seriously have no clue about what happens in real schools in real life in too many places, even in "safe" schools.

 

[gdeyefaith]

In the video to me it looks like the girl didn't even have time to comply before the officer swooped in... He just went to her seat and grabbed her up.

 

[bluesneakers]

I was trying to add them up just the other day. I thought maybe five if you count the complaint that was dismissed as well as this one.
Did anyone catch the video about a week ago on CBS news online?
I tried to bring it over but the site was acting wonky.
A woman said she saw video off this incident and said it was the same officer that had roughed up her autistic child.
She had a picture of him that showed scratches on his chest and a torn shirt.
I'm going to look for it but in the meantime...IMO

I don't remember that.

Was it this?

"I saw his face and my first thought was 'Oh my god, that's the same guy,'" said Wendy Johnson, who says her autistic son was in a physical struggle with Fields when he was a freshman.

Photos she took of her son after the altercation reveal his shirt torn and marks on his arms and shoulder.

"The people that are supposed to be protecting my children, I've got to worry ... if they're being hurt by those people," she said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/richlan...-fields-will-keep-job-after-video-of-violent/

 

[KaaBoom]

[video=youtube;Pol4n2O3OOE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pol4n2O3OOE[/video]

 

[kimlynn]

I don't remember that.

Was it this?



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/richlan...-fields-will-keep-job-after-video-of-violent/

Yes thanks. That's the one.