Should pepper spray the parents too!

[Triple J]

I'm a teacher and have avoided this story because these "news" accounts always seem to omit the important stuff. From my understanding of this, the kid was in a special ed class for severe emotionally disturbed kids. A lot of kids that used to go to special ed centers or even institutions are now in public schools as there has been a transition over the last 20 years to include people rather than isolate them. Sometimes they get the balance wrong. It seems like public school is not the least restrictive environment in which this kid can function. As a consequence, people not specifically trained to address this kid's behavior ended up addressing it as if he was a "regular" kid. You can't beat mental illness out of a kid. This isn't a kid behaving badly, it's a kid with SERIOUS mental illness. Again, I've tried to stay out of this so I may have missed some important information. Regardless, please consider the role we are asking of our schools now and know that they aren't the same as they were 20 years ago.

Interesting. My first thought on reading this story was that there was something wrong with the kid.

[redxblack]

an update on my anecdotal example - the kid who was in the school very recently is not here anymore. He robbed a guy at gunpoint at an ATM, and the victim was able to get the gun away from this "student" and literally sit on top of him until the police arrived. He's no longer the problem of the SED teacher down the hall. Small victories? Social failings? I dunno, that sort of judgment is beyond my pay grade.

[Drunken Monkey]

I've always said that our civilization has preserved too many bad genes and precivlization that would have resulted in a kid like this being thrown out of the cave and eaten by a sabre tooth tiger. 

I'll have to dig up the study they did a while back on Macaques that showed that there were distinct survival benefits for the whole tribe from having a population of both "momma's boy" and "raging asshole" personality types.

In a nutshell, a lot of these "bad" personality types actually have a niche.

Beyond that, the woman is an idiot for going on TV (unless she got a big sum of money which she's using solely for a fund for her kid)

[IZ]

And where would that money be coming from and who would it really go to?!

[Buckethead]

And where would that money be coming from and who would it really go to?!

I believe he's referring to the appearance fee for being on TV, which would come from the broadcast corporation, paid by cable subscriber fees and advertising revenue.

[ducatiz]

I'll have to dig up the study they did a while back on Macaques that showed that there were distinct survival benefits for the whole tribe from having a population of both "momma's boy" and "raging asshole" personality types.

In a nutshell, a lot of these "bad" personality types actually have a niche.

Beyond that, the woman is an idiot for going on TV (unless she got a big sum of money which she's using solely for a fund for her kid)

of course it has a niche -- it might help him avoid getting a flesh enema when he's put in prison later.

but i don't buy the survival argument for humans anymore.  we live in a wholly constructed environment, we're not subject to "regular" evolutionary pressures. 

[fastwin]

I believe he's referring to the appearance fee for being on TV, which would come from the broadcast corporation, paid by cable subscriber fees and advertising revenue.

First thing I thought of when I heard of them appearing on TV was "how much did they get paid?" Just another "sensational" news story to attract viewers and advertisers. Probably won't be the last time that kid will be on TV. Now he has a taste of it and all the attention that acting up brings him. Gee, now he's famous!

[redxblack]

Maybe the kid could land a sitcom where he plays the grandson of the golden voiced hobo, and the next water cooler "news" story that comes along can be the third leg in the story arc yet-to-be-determined. It'd be a big hit until our attention was diverted with some other meaningless crap.

[rgramjet]

Judging from Momma's build, maybe this plays a part.........

http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30569:junk-food-connected-to-criminality&catid=37:newsnationalglobal&Itemid=53

[hbliam]

Not to say the kid wasn't deserving but...if a couple cops can't handle an 8 year old without deploying pepper spray or a taser they need some more training.

There is a reason west coast cops are considered the benchmark for police tactics and training worldwide. I've seen way too many COPS episodes with the officers going straight to tasers or spray without a thought. The old school method of going hands on solves most problems. Pain compliance techniques work wonders. In nearly eight years I've only had to taze two guys and sprayed zero. I can talk 99% of them into cuffs without a problem and half of them thank me later. The other half are in prison cursing my name.  

Here's one for picking the brat up by his ear and slapping the stick out of his hand.

[psycledelic]

Not to say the kid wasn't deserving but...if a couple cops can't handle an 8 year old without deploying pepper spray or a taser they need some more training.

There is a reason west coast cops are considered the benchmark for police tactics and training worldwide. I've seen way too many COPS episodes with the officers going straight to tasers or spray without a thought. The old school method of going hands on solves most problems. Pain compliance techniques work wonders. In nearly eight years I've only had to taze two guys and sprayed zero. I can talk 99% of them into cuffs without a problem and half of them thank me later. The other half are in prison cursing my name. 

Here's one for picking the brat up by his ear and slapping the stick out of his hand.

I totally agree with you.

The bad thing about that is that the cops would have been the ones on the talk shows trying to explain why they shouldn't have lost their job and/or been on trial for child abuse.  Nowadays everyone seems to be faced with the decision of what should be done vs. what will least likely get me in trouble.  Situations that cops (and teachers for that matter) find themselves in usually seem to suck.  Not only are they forced to fill the void for slack ass, usless make the beast with two backsing parents, they have their hands tied doing it.  If the kid acts like this in school, it's because he is allowed to act like this at home.  Little Aiden needs his ass beat, MOM!

Mama saw TV time and dollar signs in this situation, and she is willing to show the world that she is a horrible parent to get it.  Shame on her!

[Randimus Maximus]

Apparently there is a back story to what is triggering the boy's outbursts:

http://www.9news.com/video/#/Education/Grandfather+of+student+hit+with+pepper-spray+speaks/49906872001/50624635001/895768384001

Not to say the kid wasn't deserving but...if a couple cops can't handle an 8 year old without deploying pepper spray or a taser they need some more training.

Keep in mind the situational affects of other incidents.  Recently in Denver, two officers were fired after they were caught on tape beating a man.  That will certainly cause others to take a different approach.

[ducpainter]

Apparently there is a back story to what is triggering the boy's outbursts:

http://www.9news.com/video/#/Education/Grandfather+of+student+hit+with+pepper-spray+speaks/49906872001/50624635001/895768384001


Keep in mind the situational affects of other incidents.  Recently in Denver, two officers were fired after they were caught on tape beating a man.  That will certainly cause others to take a different approach.

Thanks for that Randy. There's always more than what's in the original story.

You'd think there was a police 'tactic' other than beating or pepper spray that would be appropriate for an 8 year old. I couldn't agree with hbliam more.

[Randimus Maximus]

It would make sense that they should be able to.

However, none of us were at the scene, so we are all speculating on what really happened.

The child did have quite a history at that school.  Over a dozen letters sent to the mom about his behavior (keeping in mind he was at a school for children with behavior issues) and it was the third time the police had been called to the school about him.

It is also interesting that the story is just breaking now, when the incident took place in February.

[ducpainter]

Speculating in what sense?

They used pepper spray and rational thinking would suggest that two grown men with training could subdue an 8 year old with a one foot long stick.

The exact details...yeah we don't know, but gimme a break.

It will be interesting to find out the results of the investigation the grandfather alluded to, although I doubt we'll ever hear a word about it.