January 26, 2008
5-Year-Old Cuffed for Temper Tantrum
A mother is upset that last week her five-year-old son was allegedly handcuffed to a chair after throwing a temper tantrum in his Queens kindergarten class. The incident occurred last week at PS 81 and Jasmina Vasquez said her son Dennis Rivera was terrified. Rivera, who is quite large for a five-year-old at 68 pounds, reportedly was having a fit and knocking things off desks, when a school safety agent cuffed his hands behind him while seated in a chair.
A guidance counselor called Vasquez, who works in Manhattan, to tell her what was happening and the mother sent Rivera's babysitter over to PS 81. The babysitter said that the school safety agents would not release Rivera to her custody, but instead transported him to a nearby hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. He was evaluated and then released to his mother. Rivera is currently attending a private school.
Parents seemed appalled at the prospect of handcuffing a child to a chair and Vasquez said her son has been having nightmares since the incident. Legal actions against the school are being planned of course. According to WCBS TV, the police report related to the incident, however, says that the nearly-70 lb five-year-old was "punching his teacher and swinging wildly at school aides, that he smacked the assistant principal in the face, ran into a corner, and began to throw things on the floor."
An incident in October 2007, in which a principal was arrested for coming to the aid of a student being arrested for not complying with school safety agents, raised question about their role in schools. School safety agents are under the jurisdiction of the police, and critics claim that simple disciplinary matters are elevated to criminal matters by their presence and actions.
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Of course its ALL the school safety agent's fault. Forget the little runt going apeshit and running a muck, throwing PUNCHES at teachers.
He...(she?)... is only 5 years old... and weighs 70 pounds??? The mother should be arrested for failing to discipline her fat son for his behavior and poor eating habits.
Are tazers safe for use on children? Sounds like this kid could have used a good tazing.
little out of control bastards like him deserved it. kids lack discipline these days.
bring back the rulers, the time outs don't work.
That boy looks like an obese girl.
What if he had attacked another child? Then the school would be sued, or Vasquez.
Schools are not equipped to deal with disturbed children, and it's not their function. All they could do was protect the other children and themselves.
What happened to corporal punishment?
take it easy on the kid..you don't know how hard it is for a 5 year old with a receding hairline.
He is acting out for a reason. Put yourself in his shoes, what would make you want to physically act out? Clearly, this family needs help- Especially because the school administration saw fit to get the child a psych eval. The decision was wrong to physically restrain him, however we need to see beyond that. What is going on in this boy's life that forced a school to make that decision?
and by the way, those of you who are suggesting corporal punishment or tazers (!) remember, by hitting a child as a form of punishment and control you are teaching them that it is okay to use violence to solve problems.
well, judging from this story, this kid already thinks that its ok to use violence to solve problems..so why not slap the little fucker in the face to calm him down?