Duval County 2nd Grade Teacher Suspended 10 Days...

[KenFSU]

For restraining a student who was attempting to attack her with his laptop.

http://jacksonville.com/news/education/2017-06-07/duval-second-grade-teacher-suspended-10-days-allegedly-pinning-student

TL;DR - Disruptive student refuses to put laptop away when teacher asks. Teacher escorts him to the front of the room to put it away and tells him that his Mother ordered him to be respectful toward his teacher. Student raises his laptop over his head to swing at the teacher. Teacher grabs him by the shoulders and pins him against the whiteboard. Another teacher in the room gets between them, and the student swings on the teacher with his fist before being taken to the principals office. Teacher is placed on administrative leave, and is eventually suspended for 10 days for putting her hands on the student.

And we wonder why we can't fill teaching vacancies in Duval County.

These kids have zero accountability.

[Adam White]

For restraining a student who was attempting to attack her with his laptop.

http://jacksonville.com/news/education/2017-06-07/duval-second-grade-teacher-suspended-10-days-allegedly-pinning-student

TL;DR - Disruptive student refuses to put laptop away when teacher asks. Teacher escorts him to the front of the room to put it away and tells him that his Mother ordered him to be respectful toward his teacher. Student raises his laptop over his head to swing at the teacher. Teacher grabs him by the shoulders and pins him against the whiteboard. Another teacher in the room gets between them, and the student swings on the teacher with his fist before being taken to the principals office. Teacher is placed on administrative leave, and is eventually suspended for 10 days for putting her hands on the student.

And we wonder why we can't fill teaching vacancies in Duval County.

These kids have zero accountability.

He's a second grader? Why is a teacher physically restraining a student? That seems OTT. I'm not saying the student acted appropriately, but I cannot believe the teacher assaulted him. That's inappropriate, IMO.

[KenFSU]

^Where's the assault???

No marks, no bruises.

She didn't punch or kick him.

The teacher simply restrained a 2nd grader who was threatening to attack her with a heavy object.

The disrespectful student physically coming at the teacher isn't the victim here.

[BridgeTroll]

Sooo glad I do not have a kid in that effed up system... kids like that need to be removed from the normal classroom... permanently.  I realize you cannot expel them but a "special" class for "special" kids so the ones who are interested in actually learning something... can.

[remc86007]

I don't see an assault either, a battery maybe?....Sorry, I'll just get back to my bar prep course.

[FlaBoy]

She was suspended with pay? It is better than opening them up for litigation potentially. However, there is no end game of discipline for these kids. That is accurate.

[Adam White]

I don't see an assault either, a battery maybe?....Sorry, I'll just get back to my bar prep course.

I was thinking assault because the child might've feared that violence was to be committed against him (or whatever the terminology is in Florida). Assault doesn't require touching the other person, but also doesn't preclude touching (I don't believe). Anyway, the point is not to be pedantic about the legal definition of assault as much as it was to point out that the teacher was wrong to pin the child against a wall (and place her arm across his throat) or whatever. That's just f'ed up.

Anyway - the teacher is an adult and a professional. This kids was, what, seven years old? One is an adult (and a professional) and the other is a child who doesn't have the capability to reason properly. And, based on what the teacher is reported to have said, it sounds like she lost her cool.

Saying the teacher acted inappropriately does not mean the child acted appropriately. It means the teacher shouldn't have done what she did - and that is likely reflected in her suspension. Even if the child was in the wrong, the teacher is expected to act appropriately.

On an unrelated note, I think it was wrong for her to bring up his mother in front of the class. But that has no bearing on this case, other than it maybe speaks to her judgment.

[TimmyB]

As a teacher with more than 30 years in, I can tell you without question, I would put ANY student down on the floor in a heartbeat if I felt I or any other person were about to be attacked.  The law is clear about this, at least in Michigan, where I live.  A teacher may use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves, others, and/or property.  If the kid were walking away with the laptop, clearly physical restraint would not be needed.  If he were throwing computers out of the cart and destroying property, you better believe restraint is acceptable.  If he's using said computer as a weapon, sorry guys...your school district is being run by complete morons if they are saying the teacher should not have physically touched that student.  Of course, imbeciles working in school administration is not that rare, no matter what state you live in.

[Adam White]

As a teacher with more than 30 years in, I can tell you without question, I would put ANY student down on the floor in a heartbeat if I felt I or any other person were about to be attacked.  The law is clear about this, at least in Michigan, where I live.  A teacher may use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves, others, and/or property.  If the kid were walking away with the laptop, clearly physical restraint would not be needed.  If he were throwing computers out of the cart and destroying property, you better believe restraint is acceptable.  If he's using said computer as a weapon, sorry guys...your school district is being run by complete morons if they are saying the teacher should not have physically touched that student.  Of course, imbeciles working in school administration is not that rare, no matter what state you live in.

How about if the child was being rude and refusing to put the laptop away? Is it appropriate to grab the child by the arm, lead him to the front of the class and then try to take the laptop away? Because that's what precipitated this, according to the story. The teacher never should've done that and then the laptop throwing incident wouldn't have occurred. She should've known better.

[MEGATRON]

How about if the child was being rude and refusing to put the laptop away? Is it appropriate to grab the child by the arm, lead him to the front of the class and then try to take the laptop away? Because that's what precipitated this, according to the story. The teacher never should've done that and then the laptop throwing incident wouldn't have occurred. She should've known better.

Wow

[KenFSU]

Anyway, the point is not to be pedantic about the legal definition of assault as much as it was to point out that the teacher was wrong to pin the child against a wall (and place her arm across his throat) or whatever. That's just f'ed up..

For the record, as the article states, the only person reporting that the teacher had her arm to his throat is the student who tried to attack her with the laptop. Every other witness - students, teachers, etc. - refuted this claim.

[Adam White]

Anyway, the point is not to be pedantic about the legal definition of assault as much as it was to point out that the teacher was wrong to pin the child against a wall (and place her arm across his throat) or whatever. That's just f'ed up..

For the record, as the article states, the only person reporting that the teacher had her arm to his throat is the student who tried to attack her with the laptop. Every other witness - students, teachers, etc. - refuted this claim.

Read it again. The article says the only person who said she had her fist to his throat was the student. The report says it was her arm.

A district investigative report says that on April 19, Stephanie Stripling-Mitchell used poor judgment when she put her hand and arm against a second-grade boy's chest and throat at Hyde Grove Elementary, pinning him against a wall...The boy said she pushed her fist into his throat, however most of the children's and a Team Up teacher's accounts don't mention her using her fist. A police report said the teacher had the child's shoulders, but there were no bruises or marks on him.

[TimmyB]

As a teacher with more than 30 years in, I can tell you without question, I would put ANY student down on the floor in a heartbeat if I felt I or any other person were about to be attacked.  The law is clear about this, at least in Michigan, where I live.  A teacher may use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves, others, and/or property.  If the kid were walking away with the laptop, clearly physical restraint would not be needed.  If he were throwing computers out of the cart and destroying property, you better believe restraint is acceptable.  If he's using said computer as a weapon, sorry guys...your school district is being run by complete morons if they are saying the teacher should not have physically touched that student.  Of course, imbeciles working in school administration is not that rare, no matter what state you live in.

How about if the child was being rude and refusing to put the laptop away? Is it appropriate to grab the child by the arm, lead him to the front of the class and then try to take the laptop away? Because that's what precipitated this, according to the story. The teacher never should've done that and then the laptop throwing incident wouldn't have occurred. She should've known better.

TBH, at that point, I would have called for administrator support.  I'm not going to play the game that so many of these people seem to want to play.  If a student has disobeyed a direct request from me, or any adult employed by the school, their time with me is over for today, and they will be removed.  I'll let administrators deal with it.  If the administrator doesn't show up, then you've got a whole new issue.

[KenFSU]

The TU missed a lot of information in their story. I just read the complete investigative report, and there are definitely some shades of gray. First, and most importantly, this teacher has a history of putting her hands on students, having pushed over and mocked a child previously. Secondly, the teacher who helped break it up told investigators that the boy did try to hit her with the laptop, but she also said that the teachers reaction appeared to be out of anger, not self defense. Thirdly, after the student was removed from the room, the teacher told the rest of the students that she would do the same thing to them if they got out of line. Both were clearly in the wrong in their handling of the situation, and the 10 day suspension was the result of not just these actions, but of two previous incidents. Everything taken as a whole she deserves the suspension. Contradicting my own thread, but as the facts change, so does my opinion.

[TimmyB]

The TU missed a lot of information in their story. I just read the complete investigative report, and there are definitely some shades of gray. First, and most importantly, this teacher has a history of putting her hands on students, having pushed over and mocked a child previously. Secondly, the teacher who helped break it up told investigators that the boy did try to hit her with the laptop, but she also said that the teachers reaction appeared to be out of anger, not self defense. Thirdly, after the student was removed from the room, the teacher told the rest of the students that she would do the same thing to them if they got out of line. Both were clearly in the wrong in their handling of the situation, and the 10 day suspension was the result of not just these actions, but of two previous incidents. Everything taken as a whole she deserves the suspension. Contradicting my own thread, but as the facts change, so does my opinion.

That's good to know that this wasn't simply a case of a spineless administration.  Thanks for the update.