Pr. George's student on cellphone cuffed, injured

[The Straight Story]

Pr. George's student on cellphone cuffed, injured


A Prince George's County high school student was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after an altercation at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro that involved the school's principal and two security guards, according to a county schools spokesman.

Around lunchtime Tuesday, Principal Carletta Marrow caught a student talking on a cellphone and asked her to leave the classroom. When the student refused, the principal summoned two security guards to help her restrain the student using handcuffs, spokesman Darrell S. Pressley said.

"That's when the security personnel, along with the principal, worked to restrain the student for her safety, along with the safety of the others in the classroom," Pressley said.

During the struggle, the 15-year-old student suffered several injuries, including cuts and bruises around one eye, said her mother, Sanyi McLeod, who had been on the phone with her daughter when the incident took place. The student was taken to Southern Maryland Hospital, where she received stitches and a head scan, her mother said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR2010112406891.html

[Randomthought]

1. this line really says it all

"Pressley said there is no indication that the student was beaten. Instead, the student hurt herself while struggling with the school officials, he said."

I hope Mom gets a good lawyer

[beyurslf]

4. I hope the school has a good lawyer. I bet she was fighting and kicking and causing a huge scene.

Sounds like that is how she got hurt. She should not have been on the phone and she should not have refused to follow the instructions of the principal.

[dkf]

6. She was on the phone with her mother. That doesn't sound like it was fun for her.

[WinkyDink]

8. Whatever that means. They might have been blabbing about shopping.

[beyurslf]

10. Which makes mom responsible as well. I am sure their cell phone policy is very clearly

told to everyone. I have to sign something when I enroll my kids that tells me the policy. It is also posted all over the school for everyone to see. NO CELL PHONES 8-3. BOE POLICY. Get off the syinkin phone and listen to the principal. And, stop telling your principal no when he gives you a perfectly valid request to follow the school rules. She needs to spend a weekend in jail for disturbing the peace.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. I agree she should have followed the rules

But the school handled this poorly. She should have been suspended, not cuffed.

[beyurslf]

15. So when she breaks the rules and then refuses to follow the request to follow the rules,

and then fights with security, what do you do? Take her phone away and then suspend her? because that is going to get her to walk calmly and quietly out of the room? jail time might teach her a lesson, but I imagine her mom will throw a fit, get a lawyer and she will end up with a check instead. Gawd, just imagine what her kids will be like then.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. I guess since I wasn't there . . .

No she should not have been on the phone. Her mom should have known not to talk to her during school hours. That I will agree to. But handcuffing her? I'm wondering why security officers could not have removed her from the scene without the cuffs. I've seen them do this many times. One officer on each side and the kid can be safely removed.

But I wasn't there and don't know how hard this girl resisted. :shrug:

[beyurslf]

19. I say keep the cuffs one, toss her in the back of the squad car, and let her spend Thanksgiving

break in jail. Even though she may fail to learn the lesson from all of that. I bet the students who witnessed learn one.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. I am reminded of a handcuffing incident I witnessed last year

Don't know exactly what the kid did but I walked in the office in time to see her in handcuffs. She was an 8th grader and she was going off. Cursing, screaming, threatening the security officer. So they called her mom. I come back to the office a half hour later and there sits mom, also in handcuffs. Cops came and took them both away. Kid ended up being suspended for 10 days and mom was charged with threatening the cops.

But the interesting part was what one of this girl's friends said to me when I asked her what happened. "You don't mess with security or cops, that's what happened." :)

[beyurslf]

23. I am reminded of when my son had a simliar incident to this at school.

his phone fell out of his jacket pocket because he was leaning back in his seat 9and everyone, even the teacher agreed, the phone just fell out on to the floor). the teacher picked up the phone and said she had to turn it into the office because phones weren't allowed out during the school day. I admit this is a bit absurd since she even said it fell out by accident. But, my son, in his infinite wisdom, went off. Cursed at the teacher, yelled at the principal, caused a huge scene over it. Security was called, he was cuffed. I was called. he was suspended for 3 days. Of course, when his probation officer found out, he also spent the weekend in juvee. I could have thrown a fit because the teacher was being a total hard ass jerk, but he had no right to react like that so i told him to suck it up, enjoy his time behind bars, and not to expect a visit form me while he was there.
guess who has not cursed at a teacher again?

[hobbit709]

2. "worked to restrain the student for her safety"

WTF? For talking on the cellphone?

[beyurslf]

3. Why was mom on the phone with her during school?

I have 3 kids in high school and each has a cell phone. I do not accept any excuse they give about why they had their phones out during school. the only reason they should be on it is an emergency situation that involves 911 is what I tell them. And what teenager has a right to tell the principal no when told to stop violating a school rule?

[Dappleganger]

16. Totally agree with you.

[madinmaryland]

5. While I don't condone what the guards may have done, cell phone use

in schools in rightfully prohibited during classes as the possession of them is highly disruptive.

Why was the kid on the phone during a class anyhow. Phones should not be allowed in the classroom.

[WinkyDink]

7. "During the struggle" says it all. This girl was defiant from the git-go, including using the phone.

[niyad]

9. "around lunchtime" or "in a classroom"--article says both.

it amazes me that talking on a cellphone at lunchtime could require such an upheaval. there are some serious facts missing from this story, wapo.

if it was during classtime, what was the principal doing there, teaching? no principal at any school I ever attended taught class.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. My principal is in my classroom a couple times a day

Good principals do that. They are all over the school.

[sarcasmo]

11. Police State upon us prepare to collide.

[beyurslf]

13. It is not a police state. It is a public school trying to keep order when a student isblantantly

violating rules and then refusing requests to stop breaking those rules. Shouldn't we have some rules in schools or should kids just do as they please?

[WVRICK13]

17. I Could Argue Both Sides

of this issue. In the end it all comes down to how the injuries occurred. If the girl contributed substantially to her injuries by resisting in a violent manner she got what is expected. Violence is usually met with violence. If she was verbally deviant and they physically abused her they were wrong. Not being at the scene I can only say it is a shame things escalated until there were injuries to any party.

[beyurslf]

20. I agree that is unfortunate. It happens a lot though when kids just refuse

to do what is asked of them in school and then blow up when the rules are enforced. It is not ab out that one kid--it is about the 30 kids watching (and learning) the incident and the 100 other students they will tell about it. If you let one kid cause chaos in the school, soon you have 50 kids causing chaos in the school. Most kids will do as much as they think can without getting into trouble.

[Gaedel]

21. Sounds like

The student in question "went off" when the principal interfered with her instant gratification. The Thanksgiving weekend in a cell might have caused her to see the light. Kids need to be shown that there is such a thing as too much self esteem.