11 Alive – by Jeremy CampbellSTONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A Stone Mountain mother is outraged after her 6-year-old was handcuffed for misbehaving at Pine Ridge Elementary School. Her child, Patrick, is a first-grader there and is a special needs student.
“My husband got a call that something was going on with Patrick at school, and they needed us to come. We go into the school and a gentleman takes us back. I hear my son yelling and screaming” Lakaisha Reid recalled.
She snapped photos of the bruises left on his wrist on Friday after he was handcuffed by a student resource officer.
“He just ran away from school. That does not require handcuffs. He’s a special needs kid,” she said.
The DeKalb County School District issued this statement about its decision to handcuff the child:
“A 6-year-old student at Pine Ridge Elementary School was acting in a disruptive manner and being self-destructive during school today. He ran out of school onto a busy, public street and was pursued by three school staff members. The student was secured and returned to the school and placed in a room with a special education teacher, the school counselor and the School Resource Officer (SRO) to protect him from doing harm to himself. After several unsuccessful attempts, his parents were contacted and asked to come immediately to the school. For approximately one hour, the student was scratching, kicking and hitting school personnel and continued to exhibit violent behavior, running into walls, banging his head on tables and placing his health at risk. At this point, the SRO placed handcuffs on the student to protect him from harming himself. When the parents arrived, they were told the student was handcuffed for his personal safety.”
His mother hopes sharing her son’s story may lead to more training at Pine Ridge.
“They need to have police officers that are trained for special needs kids or for any kids that are that age. That’s pretty young for handcuffs. Anything can happen with those handcuffs on him,” Reid said.
His mother doesn’t plan to send him back to school on Monday.
11Alive asked the school system if they would have acted differently in hind sight.
Their reply? There is protocol but every situation is unique.
A child that uncontrollable needs more than what he can receive in a public school. Now that schools are basically prison/ indoctrination centers they will react like any jailer. They are not equipt to handle children like the one in the story.
you’re absolutely right, Frank.
“They need to have police officers that are trained for special needs kids or for any kids that are that age.”
If there was a cop nearby the kid would have been shot to pieces.
Also Note that if the parent had put those same bruise’s on the child ,CPS would be at their door in a heartbeat! But when a prison guard,I mean resource officer does it then it is perfectly acceptable. I wish that they would stop calling these government indoctrination centers schools!
Where is the dad in this. I had a situation before I pulled my 2 children out of public schools. This 350 male teacher pinched my son for not paying attention in class. When my son came home crying and told me what had happened which did leave a mark on him. I was down at the school in a flash and confronted this guy. I had had numerous friendly conversations with him in the past as well as other teachers there as an involved watchful parent. I told him in no uncertain terms that if he ever laid a finger on my son again I would kick his ass all over the place. Had, he given me any sh-t at the time I would have done it right then. There is a time for peace and a time for war. Hopefully people know the difference. That’s my child no one elses. These schools and the employees are paid by us.
This is one of those damned if you do damned if you don’t situations. If he hadn’t been restrained and smashed his own head open on a desk or wall they would still be in trouble. Regardless of what the school did and the outcome someone is most likely sniffing for a payday.
Why is the thug carrying “Handcuffs” in a school?
As a Paramedic, we regularly had to restrain mental or drunk patients, Instead of Handcuffs (which we did not have) we used 6″ crepe bandage, twice around the wrist and cross to the other wrist, then couple of times around the chest or waist and tie off.
If they are kicking, repeat the tie off at the knees and ankles.
Cannot damage him/herself, cannot damage us, relaxes instead of aggravating the situation. Of course we then sat down and calmed them by holding, talking and re-assuring them.