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

[KaaBoom]

she was "challenging authority" .....after years of homeschooling I decided to put my children in Public School. My then 14year old was appalled at the lack of respect his peers showed. i certainly think excessive force was used, this is not acceptable. However, this students blatant disregard for the rules was obvious. Why did the teacher not step in?

How about the cop challenging the authority of the Constitution of the United States, and violating the girls civil rights? Do you think that a girl violating a school rule is worse then a cop abusing his power and violating someone’s constitutional rights?

 

[Hatfield]

What a great post kareylou - imo while there are many great posts pointing out various aspects across pages and pages of responses, you very eloquently summarize the circumstances and solutions from many posts into one post, comparing apples to apples.
You were responding to a post that was comparing apples to oranges imo and correctly turned the focus back to the mindset of minor students.

It's heartwarming imo to see you and fellow teacher EllieBee come at this with a positive and proper perspective as something to learn from. Well done to both of you!

As for your post #797 - please take up more space to address this - you have much to teach some teachers and others!

kareylou's post was really good.

Cellphones are a new phenomenom that my schools did not have to deal with when I went to high school. It is a tough thing these days with those devices. Heck, we even see during live news reports and important speeches where cell phone ringers go off. So even adult situations have cell phone issues.

It was obvious the child in the class was ignoring the instructors request to get off the phone. At that point it was a battle of wits between the authority and the student and the student was not backing down.

I had mentioned the other day that I think the best way to handle it would have been to have 2 adults either carry or pull her chair+her out into the hall. If they could have managed to get her removed from the class and shut the door then I think the child would have willingly walked to the office at that point. Because the peers would have been separated at that point.

The problem in the classroom was the egos of both the student and the teacher were in a battle. It was a battle of Egos and battle of wits because neither wanted to be embarrassed in front of other people.

It was a tough situation. But a good example of the kinds of things that happen to teachers.

 

[Hope4More]

she was "challenging authority" .....after years of homeschooling I decided to put my children in Public School. My then 14year old was appalled at the lack of respect his peers showed. i certainly think excessive force was used, this is not acceptable. However, this students blatant disregard for the rules was obvious. Why did the teacher not step in?

From what I've read both the teacher and the VP didn't have a problem with what Fields did. That is very instructive about their mindset.

The sheriff was correct about one of the core problems in that school system. The original purpose for having cops in schools wasn't to have them be administrative backup for handling unruly students, but that's what's happened, especially after SC saw fit to criminalize unruly student behavior.

That teacher and the VP quickly escalated up the authority chain because it was available to them, and easier than using basic conflict resolution/counseling skills to handle the situation.

BTW, in many public schools it is against the rules to use a cellphone at all during school hours, and a standard penalty is to have the phone confiscated until the end of the day.

And BTW, it is not only possible but entirely appropriate to point out that while that cop should have been fired and IMO, cops shouldn't ever be called in to resolve routine classroom disruptions, it is silly at best and disingenuous at worst to assert that those who fault the girl for her behavior are in any way equating her rule infraction and defiance with his violent crime, or blaming the victim for what happened to her.

Disagree or not, but at least do so with intellectual honesty.

 

[Hatfield]

Progression of technical devices in the classroom.

Ive been trying to think of something that my schools had to deal with years ago like cellphones and I think calculators are a pretty good example.

In math classes years ago the teachers banned calculators during test time because they wanted to be sure we knew how to do the math without using a calculator.

What is interesting was as the calculator became more commonly used some classes started allowing them during test time because they just wanted to be sure you knew the formulas and werent as concerned about the simple number crunching.

Taking that a step further was programmable caclulators. The kids were always trying to outsmart the teachers and some kids learned that programmable calculators could store the formulas in the calculator. We started noticing that certain students were having the same type of fancy calculator and we wondered why. 3, 5, and then 7 kids started showing up during test time with these certain calculators. Once word spread then practically every kid in the class had this certain type of calculator. Instead of memorizing the formulas you could store them in the calculator and then just recall them during test time.

I remember going to my parents and demanding them buy me this certain type of calculator. It was a Texas Instrument calculator. They questioned why I had to have that exact style. LOL

It took my school about 2 years before they realized what was happening and started to change the tests to where it wasnt an advantage for some and not others. They relented and just had a page with all the formulas printed on the page and the students had to just learn which formulas were the right ones to use for certain situations.

And these days we have cell phones that are basically small computers that can store and do everything. Im not sure what teachers allow or dont allow these days during test time but I am sure they have had to tailor the tests to account for new technologies.

Its been an amazing progression over the years.

 

[rob]

This student had just defied the authority of the teacher, school administrater and a police officer. She was asked to do something and she refused. Repeatedly.
I guess the new way of the world is just to say, Oh well, she doesn't want to. She had options. She made choices. If this was my child, she would have hell to pay for this, probably be on restriction till she graduated, no cell phone, no computer. Not hooking up with an attorney, looking to make money off doing wrong.

On the local news here, even other students said that she was in the wrong, and that the officer was a nice guy.

If the officer was charged and went to court, and I was on the jury, I would find him not guilty.
All MOO

 

[JeannaT]

How about the cop challenging the authority of the Constitution of the United States, and violating the girls civil rights? Do you think that a girl violating a school rule is worse then a cop abusing his power and violating someone’s constitutional rights?

I'd be very interested in where in the constitution, specifically, you can find support for a child refusing to leave a classroom for disobeying school rules. What exactly, in the constitution was violated here?

 

[Woodland]

This student had just defied the authority of the teacher, school administrater and a police officer. She was asked to do something and she refused. Repeatedly.
I guess the new way of the world is just to say, Oh well, she doesn't want to. She had options. She made choices. If this was my child, she would have hell to pay for this, probably be on restriction till she graduated, no cell phone, no computer. Not hooking up with an attorney, looking to make money off doing wrong.

On the local news here, even other students said that she was in the wrong, and that the officer was a nice guy.

If the officer was charged and went to court, and I was on the jury, I would find him not guilty.
All MOO

Bolded and underlined by me -

Would you have beat the sh** out of her or asked a cop to? Curious.

Is it possible to have a link to your local news content on this case?

 

[Hiandmighty]

I scanned something on facebook that says she punched the cop first and it is on tape. I didn't follow up.

 

[vestigare]

I'd be very interested in where in the constitution, specifically, you can find support for a child refusing to leave a classroom for disobeying school rules. What exactly, in the constitution was violated here?

42 U.S. Code § 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights

Current through Pub. L. 114-38

Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.

(R.S. § 1979; Pub. L. 96–170, § 1, Dec. 29, 1979, 93 Stat. 1284; Pub. L. 104–317, title III, § 309(c), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3853.)


Title 42, of the United States Code. Section 1983 makes it unlawful for anyone acting under the authority of state law to deprive another person of his or her rights under the Constitution or federal law. The most common claims brought against police officers are false arrest (or false imprisonment), malicious prosecution, and use of excessive or unreasonable force.

 

[CCmakes3]

This student had just defied the authority of the teacher, school administrater and a police officer. She was asked to do something and she refused. Repeatedly.
I guess the new way of the world is just to say, Oh well, she doesn't want to. She had options. She made choices. If this was my child, she would have hell to pay for this, probably be on restriction till she graduated, no cell phone, no computer. Not hooking up with an attorney, looking to make money off doing wrong.

Bbm. I totally agree with the bolded part. That's why I said I would call the parents as opposed to the cops if this happened in my classroom, just to be safe. On the one hand people were appalled that I'd postpone the lesson to make a quick call/or send a message to the office to call parents, but on the other hand they thought I should let the disruptive student just keep doing her thing. Either way the other students aren't learning, so.... Idk, lol. Teachers can't win! But honestly, as a parent, I'd really WANT to be called before the cops were called. I wasn't saying it to be evil, mean, nasty teacher trying to get the girl in trouble. I was saying it because that's what I'd want as a parent as well.

PS, Just to clarify, no, I am no longer a teacher. But I do still consult in the schools (early intervention through high school).

 

[CCmakes3]

I scanned something on facebook that says she punched the cop first and it is on tape. I didn't follow up.

I don't think that's possible having seen the video, unless it was on a separate occasion/earlier in the day.

 

[bluesneakers]

This student had just defied the authority of the teacher, school administrater and a police officer. She was asked to do something and she refused. Repeatedly.
I guess the new way of the world is just to say, Oh well, she doesn't want to. She had options. She made choices. If this was my child, she would have hell to pay for this, probably be on restriction till she graduated, no cell phone, no computer. Not hooking up with an attorney, looking to make money off doing wrong.

On the local news here, even other students said that she was in the wrong, and that the officer was a nice guy.

If the officer was charged and went to court, and I was on the jury, I would find him not guilty.
All MOO

It is not new for a teenager to misbehave, disobey, act defiant, or not do exactly as told. It's been going on since.... well, since there have been teenagers.

IMO this was really not a big deal, not a sign of how terrible teenagers are now compared to back in the day, not a result of kids being coddled or awarded ribbons for participation. Especially now that we know more of this girl's story I'm surprised how much people are reading in to this one act.

I just can't get over the pearl-clutching.

JMO.

 

[bluesneakers]

I scanned something on facebook that says she punched the cop first and it is on tape. I didn't follow up.

So it's just a Facebook rumour?

 

[CCmakes3]

So it's just a Facebook rumour?

It's just someone stoking the flames. People need to get a life!

 

[CCmakes3]

Fwiw, I am totally in favor of kids having cell phones at school and perhaps even having a designated time during each class period to quickly check them. My son survived a school shooting and was in lockdown for 8 hours. He was in the last classroom to be cleared, which was actually the boys locker room, in complete darkness, with no air circulating. The gym teacher did not have a cell phone on him. My son's cell phone was a lifeline for him, the teacher and many other students. Student cell phones were against the rules until that day, but have been allowed ever since. I and many other parents would have feared our children were dead were it not for the few kids who had phones in their pockets when the bullets started flying. The vice principal was killed.

Eta: disclaimer-- It is probably because of this experience that I am very wary and suspicious of students who express defiance toward teachers and authority figures. The shooting was committed by a student who was unwilling to accept a suspension for vandalizing school property. I am sorry for my bias.

 

[nomoresorrow]

I scanned something on facebook that says she punched the cop first and it is on tape. I didn't follow up.

Well gosh, if it's on Facebook then it must be true...

 

[~n/t~]

Fwiw, I am totally in favor of kids having cell phones at school and perhaps even having a designated time during each class period to quickly check them. My son survived a school shooting and was in lockdown for 8 hours. He was in the last classroom to be cleared, which was actually the boys locker room, in complete darkness, with no air circulating. The gym teacher did not have a cell phone on him. My son's cell phone was a lifeline for him, the teacher and many other students. Student cell phones were against the rules until that day, but have been allowed ever since. I and many other parents would have feared our children were dead for 8 hours were it not for the few kids who had phones in their pockets when the bullets started flying. The vice principal was killed.

You can't compare using a cell phone for emergency purposes versus using one to chat with your friends (assuming that is what this student was doing when she was told to put it away). I don't think there is anything wrong with students having cell phones but during class, they should be turned off.

 

[~n/t~]

Did the 3rd. video surface? I can't find it.

TIA

Sheriff Says 'Third Video' Shows South Carolina Student Punching Officer in Classroom

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...uth-carolina-student-punching-officer-n452481

 

[kareylou]

Hopefully you would at least make a pretense of listening to the evidence first.



If the officer was charged and went to court, and I was on the jury, I would find him not guilty.
All MOO[/QUOTE]

 

[Woodland]

Bbm. I totally agree with the bolded part. That's why I said I would call the parents as opposed to the cops if this happened in my classroom, just to be safe. On the one hand people were appalled that I'd postpone the lesson to make a quick call/or send a message to the office to call parents, but on the other hand they thought I should let the disruptive student just keep doing her thing. Either way the other students aren't learning, so.... Idk, lol. Teachers can't win! But honestly, as a parent, I'd really WANT to be called before the cops were called. I wasn't saying it to be evil, mean, nasty teacher trying to get the girl in trouble. I was saying it because that's what I'd want as a parent as well.

PS, Just to clarify, no, I am no longer a teacher. But I do still consult in the schools (early intervention through high school).

I read the responses to your original post at the time - find your summary of what others had to say at that time to be incorrect.

Some posters were appalled at the idea of a student peeking at their phone and a teacher leaving the classroom, suspending the lesson in order to make a call to a parent or guardian. That struck the posters as unwarranted, excessive and unproductive.

Find it interesting that comprehension of what LE has said sometimes only extends to the first reports for some - the follow up LE statements don't seem to register with all. Jmo.