Secretary at Denver school charged in duct taping of boy

What do you think of this article?

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13646028?so urce=pop_section_news

The boy was sent to the principals office, and the secretary duct taped his mouth and wrists!

If that were my child, the first thing I would ask is "... what'd you do?"  The boy has a history of being rowdy and disruptive, but the administrator does not seem to have a history of child abuse.  So, I think there was probably a good reason for her actions (though using duct tape on someone else's child isn't the first thing I would think of), however I think it's sad that she has to suffer to this extent for it.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Comments?

Absolutely correct that she was charged with false imprisonment.

i don't think there's anything a child could do that would warrant being duct taped in the school office...

I do.

I understand that kids will be kids, but there are some children who laugh in the face of authority, and from what I understand - this child was a regular in the principals office.  Obviously he's not getting the point.

Original Post by samantha81:

I do.

I understand that kids will be kids, but there are some children who laugh in the face of authority, and from what I understand - this child was a regular in the principals office.  Obviously he's not getting the point.

 right.  but in the school system, they have no authority to use physical force.  and duct taping a child's mouth/wrists is definitely physical force.

Original Post by samantha81:

The boy has a history of being rowdy and disruptive, but the administrator does not seem to have a history of child abuse.  So, I think there was probably a good reason for her actions (though using duct tape on someone else's child isn't the first thing I would think of), however I think it's sad that she has to suffer to this extent for it.

"Not having a history of abuse" does not preclude her actions from being classified as abuse.  I can't imagine being bound and gagged is all that pleasant, and I can practically guarantee it's downright terrifying to a 6 year old child.  The removal of that tape couldn't have been easy and pain free either.  It would be considered abuse if a parent did it, so I don't see why public school employees should get a special exemption.

It should also be mentioned that there have been incidents in other schools of children, mostly special needs, being restrained so agressively and with such force, that they have incurred injury and some have even died. 

I don't care how unruly a 6 year old is, there are other ways to handle a "disruptive" child.  What's really sad is that a public school official in a position that requires the management of children and their behavior couldn't come up with a more appropriate course of action, or didn't receive adequate training for dealing with those situations.

As for her "suffering", speaking as a parent who would also be furious at the physical handling of my children by school officials, I can't say I'm all that sympathetic. If she deals with disruptive students on a regular basis I could see how she might snap and make a bad decision, but she's still responsible for what she did.

Should she be fired?  Given her history, maybe not - but at the very least an unpaid leave of absence and some behavioral management training.

He probably had it comming, but that wasn't the proper way to handle it.

People that don't learn to deal with authority as a child often have a pretty rude awakening when they become an adult.

A couple of years in a military school would probably do wonders for his attitude (or make him 100% miserable.) Either would be a good lesson. 

Original Post by zebraarbez:

A couple of years in a military school would probably do wonders for his attitude (or make him 100% miserable.) Either would be a good lesson. 

 What military schools are available for 6 year olds?

on edit:  Apparently there are a few - which kind of surprised me.  In any case, the child needs behavioral intervention, not duct tape restraints.

Original Post by santonacci:

Original Post by zebraarbez:

A couple of years in a military school would probably do wonders for his attitude (or make him 100% miserable.) Either would be a good lesson. 

 What military schools are available for 6 year olds?

 that was my thought process too.

i mean, we'll just put him in there for a couple years.  then at the ripe ol' age of 8, put him back in public school!  problem solved!

I agree that the secretary shouldn't be let go, free and clear.  However, the frustrating thing to me is - no one has said what the child was doing!  Did he spit at her?  Swear at her?  Kick her?  How often has this happened?  Was he disrupting other peoples children from getting a valuable education??

I think the first thing she should have done is called the parents and had them remove him from the school.  She probably did "snap", and should attend some kind of behavioural managment class.  But to practically ruin her career over it...

I see so much lack of discipline in children, everywhere I go.  Kids run the show these days, not the parents!  Yet it's not until the child actually commits murder or some other kind of heinous crime that their behavior is actually questioned (and those kinds of things are happening more and more with younger and younger age groups).

If this child did have some kind of special need, that would have been one of the first thing mentioned in the articlel!  This secretary would have a lot less people on her side if the child actually had some kind of handicap preventing him from responding to authority, and demonstrating respect.  However, nothing is mentioned! 

I've worked with school age children, and been a nanny for several different families.  I would never use this kind of discipline on anyone's children, including my own.  BUT... I have a gripe with the fact that discipline in any form is questioned, and teachers/school administrators are the ones left with their hands tied.

Original Post by starlitocean:

i mean, we'll just put him in there for a couple years.  then at the ripe ol' age of 8, put him back in public school!  problem solved!

 Indeed - it's a lot easier to hand your child over to someone else to deal with, sight unseen, and then hope they continue to behave after their sentence is up.

Besides - don't most military schools cost a bit of money?  Seems to me that if some adults would, oh, I don't know, start acting like adults and get educated on how to handle difficult children, maybe it could have been avoided altogether. (yes, I'm including the child's parents here, too)

I feel for the secretary, whose job description probably does not include babysitting small children with behavior problems. My daughter has a classmate who has been in and out of the principal's office continuously since kindergarten. He has been banned from riding the regular school bus and now rides the "short bus" (for lack of a better term). He has been charged in juvenile court with multiple charges stemming from touching a female classmate inappropriately. Is he a bad kid? In my opinion, no. He simply has some issues that need to be dealt with in order to better understand why he acts out the way he does. Can I see the secretary at my daughter's school reacting in the same way as the woman in the article? Absolutely! So, don't judge the secretary and don't judge the child. If this 6 year old is this out of control on a regular basis, someone needs to start looking at home!

Original Post by alaskanmama:

If this 6 year old is this out of control on a regular basis, someone needs to start looking at home!

 oh, i agree with you there.

I expected to catch some flack for the military school comment, but I'm a big fan of them. For some males (not all, but some) they are the right answer to getting their life in line. I know of at least two teens that were well down the wrong track who had their life turned around be being sent to a military school (parent's last resort in both cases.)

There is also the example of Phil Graham (put the politics aside for a moment.) Got in a lot of trouble as a youth (including run ins with the law.) Ends up being sent to GA Military Academy. Credits it with straightening him out. The result: attended college, a doctorate in economics, a college professor, US Cngressm and and later US senator from Texas.

Military school isn't about beating students into submission. It's about teaching them respect for themselves, others, and authority in a highly structured environment.  For some males that is exactly what they need.

I can't believe I let myself get sucked into another one of these pot-stir threads.

Without rtfa I surmise she should have spared the duct tape and slapped the parents ;)

She probably should have just permanently expelled him, as if he's that bad she'll have the documentation.

All the intervention in the world isn't going to turn around an out of control child if it's not reinforced daily by the parents.

Original Post by kathygator:

I can't believe I let myself get sucked into another one of these pot-stir threads.

Once bitten, twice shy.

I can imagine that when the boy got home and recounted the story to his parents, they probably sat him down, gave him a bowl of ice cream, and said... "aaawh.  Poor baby.  Did the big, bad teacher put tape over your sweet little mouth?"

*eye roll*... that's the extent of accountability kids are being shown these days. 

Amen for military school!

Original Post by samantha81:

I agree that the secretary shouldn't be let go, free and clear.  However, the frustrating thing to me is - no one has said what the child was doing!  Did he spit at her?  Swear at her?  Kick her?  How often has this happened?  Was he disrupting other peoples children from getting a valuable education??

 

 who CARES what he was doing?? he's a six year old child! if he was so out of control as to become a danger to himself or others, she should have called for someone to help her restrain him until his parents could come for him. 

what if this article said "teacher slaps child in the face" or "teacher dangles child upside down by one leg out the window"? would you question his actions then? physical disicpline is NOT allowed in public schools. if you make an excuse for this woman, then where do you draw the line?

Original Post by samantha81:

I can imagine that when the boy got home and recounted the story to his parents, they probably sat him down, gave him a bowl of ice cream, and said... "aaawh.  Poor baby.  Did the big, bad teacher put tape over your sweet little mouth?"

*eye roll*... that's the extent of accountability kids are being shown these days. 

Amen for military school!

 so you think because there are crappy parents out there school administrators should be able to discipline as they see fit? that's insane.

duct taping their legs and arms to the wall works, and you can put it over their clothing so that it doesn't hurt to take off.

Although, it CAN mess up the paint.