Police Handcuffed Kindergartener for Throwing a Tantrum

When a 6-year-old girl in kindergarten got rowdy, the school principal called the cops, who came and handcuffed the child:

According to the police report, kindergartner Salecia Johnson is accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing furniture.

She was crying in the principal's office at Creekside Elementary before police arrived Friday. The report says the girl knocked over a shelf that injured the principal. It also says she was seen biting the door knob of the office and jumping on the paper shredder. And, it says, she attempted to break a glass frame above the shredder.

The report says when the officer tried to calm the child, she resisted and was cuffed.

"Our policy is that any detainee transported to our station in a patrol vehicle is to be handcuffed in the back. There is no age discrimination on that rule," said Milledgeville Chief of Police Dray Swicord.

They took the child to the police station where she was charged with simple assault and damage to property. Because of her age, she will not be prosecuted.

Is 6-year-old too young to be handcuffed and booked with a crime? Link

Previously on Neatorama: Kid Handcuffed and Perp Walked for Doodling on Desk


As a teacher, I am very aware that a kid (any age) could feel free to harm me or destroy my property and if I choose to restrain them in any manner, I am putting my career on the line.
In court, you would have to justify that you did not use undue force. No problem. You can fight the case and win, but you could kiss your university degree goodbye. Schools will always be reluctant to hire a teacher who has been accused of a crime (even if proven innocent in court).

You can bet I wouldn't be rushing in to restrain the child. Not a chance. Should I let the child destroy everything they get their hands on? Hmmm, maybe if they destroy some really expensive things the parents will pay for it. Haha, that'd be the day.

Yes, we are trained on how to calm students, but does that mean it's always going to work? No.
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So she's 6. Why was she completely losing it at school? Can you ever imagine you doing that at school when you were 6? It may seem harsh to call the police but just look at how the parents responded. Their little girl was mistreated, they say. They would have said the same if the school had taken drastic measures to stop her tantrum. If they had put her in a room all alone? The parents would have still seen their daughter as the victim.

Besides, who has a 6 year old and can't be reached by phone? Who? Everyone has a cell phone now.

Yes, it's a shame that the girl got handcuffed but WHY was she behaving this way? Parents, stop blaming the school or the cops and get your girl and family some help.
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@Jomel, no one is forcing her to attend that"brainwashing"prison. I'm sure that school would be delighted if her mother opted to home school her. I did not read all of the comments posted here, but having taught in public and private schools for 16 years I would have to agree with what many said here. The girl was dangerous to hetself and others. The school would be sued in a heartbeat if anyone was seriously injured. The school and the police did the right thing. Time to send a message-actions have consequences.
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I would love to know the back story of this kid. If I had known back in kindergarten what I know now about the government school system, I would act out too so I wouldn't have to be there. Salecia may just be instinctively aware of the brain-washing indoctrination prison she is forced to attend.
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um, regardless of if being handcuffed is the 'least of this child's problems', I think you're all failing to realize that a six year old is still a BABY. If NOBODY in the whole damn school can restrain/calm a six year old, they don't need to be in the business they are in. Police and handcuffs? Dramatic and ridiculous and damaging to the child.
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If her parents were disciplining her better at home she would not be acting like this. I am speechless at this childs behaviour she sounds like a complete and utter psycho brat and i hope she learnt a BIG lesson. Learn it better at 6 then at 16 and end up in juvi-NEVER ok to go crazy, be violent and distroy others property PERIOD. By 6 she should know this already.
Sounds like she was a danger to herself and others around her and if you can't reason with a crazy person, make sure they can't harm themselves and others
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brad- I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if you realized just how much a teacher's hands are tied when it comes to discplining a student.
If a teacher or the principil had even tried to restrain that child, they would've been sued and plastered all over the news as abusive and fired.

I agree with the others.... being handcuffed is the least of this child's problems it seems. A 6yo should not be THAT destructive.
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The adults were in a no win situation. If they had physically restrained the child by holding her they risked improper touching charges.
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Wow, some people in the comments here... Agreeing with calling the police on a SIX YEAR OLD CHILD. For the protocol, I don't like kids very much but what I really hate are people who need the cops to solve their porblems for them. "Hello, police? There is someone staninh on my toe, I'd like to sue, call the special ops, I demand punishment"

Kids are ment to be kids, adults should be able to act for them selves without calling for big armed men every week. Shame on you. What a county of cowardly mouse-people.
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I applaud the sherrif. It's about time someone stops acting afraid of these kids. Schools shouldn't have to be trained to deal with kids that are THAT out of control... That's what psych wards are for.
At one point in time, it wasn't an outrageous thing for a child to respect their elders. At one point in time, an unfit parent was an unfit parent and the world kept on spinnin'...
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If your 6-year-old acted like that, and was handcuffed, you would be mad at the school? Since you work at a school, you should understand how ridiculous that is. I work with all kinds of rowdy kids. If a kid got that out of line and the parents weren't around, I'd call the cops.
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That's ridiculous. I work in a school and we have students with special needs that act out on a fairly regular basis. Staff are trained to restrain them without anyone getting hurt. No one in that school knows how to restrain a 6 year old? They ought to be ashamed that they called the police. Do parents have to be home all the time so their child does not get arrested when they act out? I agree that CPS may need to be contacted, and that the parents lacked some responsibility. But I might have something to say if my 6 year old was handcuffed and taken to a police station.
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I agree with the school's and police actions. If a child is being that destructive, then there are clearly bigger issues at hand. And it is concerning that the parents don't think it was that big a deal. Just emphasizes the fact that parents these days all consider their children to be the 'exception to the rule', and expect teachers & administrators to do their job. By the time they get around to college when i deal with them, it's too late!
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Having worked in a school, I can at least partially agree with kikicrazed.

Now CPS needs to be called in, because a child of that age that is behaving like that has almost certainly got some major problems going on at home.
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It's really not that ridiculous. What you failed to highlight is that the school officials couldn't reach her parents - and if another adult had restrained her, they would've been sued! So what if the police have that ageless protocol? It just reflects the social norm that no one can do anything about other people's children.
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