A Belch in Gym Class. Then Handcuffs and a Lawsuit | Hacker News Reader

A Belch in Gym Class. Then Handcuffs and a Lawsuit

bloomberg.com

34 pointsanonu11 comments

I have to wonder why schools are deciding to call police on such minor issues. Mind you, I'm looking at this situation from the lens of being a very violent in my own childhood. I would have random tantrums for no good reason. I don't know why I was so angry, but it was amazing I was never put in juvie or an insane asylum as a kid.

But being annoying in class, burping, is now an offense worthy of arresting a child? Sorry, but this is something that is far out of proportion with the behavior. At worse, the kid should've been cooling his heels in the principle's office until mom/dad/whatever came to pick them up and probably tear them a new one at home. So, I just don't see why cops even factor into this matter at all. No drugs, no actual violence, no sexual stuff. Just a kid... BURPING. Wow!

This is a hammer problem. When all you have is a hammer (arrest) everything is a nail.

How do they only have arrest?

The police officer could have sat with the child for a few minutes, discussed why the behaviour was inappropriate, and let them return to class.

(Or a normal member of staff could do this, why do American schools have police on staff?! To strip search children, according to the footer in the article.)

American police are framed as warriors, not peacekeepers or counsellors.

There seems to be little about the culture surrounding policemen in the US that would encourage him to have acted "reasonably" here.

From quotas, to the increasing militarisation, to their intense public vs. cops tribalism, there is little reason why police aren't encouraged to apply the strongest "zero-tolerance" tools they have, which has led to a bunch of unfortunate instances.

They could have give him detention and if that didn't work suspend him. It's worked for a 100 years.

It's insane to me that schools have a police officer assigned

Land of the free, baby.

When there are guns and drugs found in them constantly, and school shootings every year, helicopter parents demand that "something" be done to protect their special darlings.

Students are the clients, not the product. The teacher should be fired for calling the cops, and no, it doesn't matter that the cop is referred to as a Resource Officer.

Why was he pretending to belch in class like that?

If you're going to act like a jerk don't be surprised when people are a jerk back to you.

> Why was he pretending to belch in class like that?

Because he's a child. That doesn't warrant being handcuffed into the back of a police car and sent to a juvenile detention facility

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