S.C. deputy filmed slamming teen girl out of desk, dragging her away

The SRO probably wishes you were the teacher. We didn't hear the audio prior to the officer's arrival, but every teacher I know calls the officer only when someone is going to be removed from the class. So basically he gets there, his job is to get her out of the class.

 

I disagree that kids don't understand that a suspension is a consequence. And, sorry, but the consequences for a sophomore girl should not be that she gets thrown across the room by a grown man. (She is in the rear third of the classroom when she hits the floor out of the desk and she's at the front when he gets on top of her. I think it qualifies as "across the room.")

 

I hate that I'm jumping back into this because I just feel like a damn hamster on a wheel. But you don't seem to get that once you move to physical force, as you're describing it on your NJ use-of-force continuum, that there are multiple levels of physical force to be deployed. He jumps to the high end of that where he's trying to use pain to get her to submit. That's different and more severe than using pressure.

 

So after the verbal command is refused, what level does he go to? You said empty-hand?
Trying to get her to submit? Like a choke hold? I didn't see that.
I described the NJ use-of-force and also found the link from the National Institute of Justice.
here it is

• Officer Presence — No force is used. Considered the best way to resolve a situation.
  • The mere presence of a law enforcement officer works to deter crime or diffuse a situation.
  • Officers' attitudes are professional and nonthreatening.
• Verbalization — Force is not-physical.
  • Officers issue calm, nonthreatening commands, such as "Let me see your identification and registration."
  • Officers may increase their volume and shorten commands in an attempt to gain compliance. Short commands might include "Stop," or "Don't move."
• Empty-Hand Control — Officers use bodily force to gain control of a situation.
  • Soft technique. Officers use grabs, holds and joint locks to restrain an individual.
  • Hard technique. Officers use punches and kicks to restrain an individual.

Is there a missing level? He lifted her out of the desk. That came after verbalization.

 

He dragged/carried her most of that distance. The throw was not from the rear third of the room. Again, let's be precise here.

I'm not saying the suspension isn't a consequence. I'm talking about the message to the students. She got to do what she wanted, fuck around on her phone rather than do her work in class. Most importantly, if you don't think that is a distraction, you haven't seen how classrooms work.

 

According to the NY Times: Witnesses to Monday’s incident said that in an Algebra 1 class, the girl, a sophomore, was on her phone, and the teacher told her to put it away. The teacher summoned an administrator, who brought in the deputy. The adults repeatedly asked the student to get up and leave the class, but she refused.

Which was more disruptive, do you think? The girl on her phone, or the girl being thrown by the SRO?

If they want to screw around, they can get suspended, too.

 

There are a range of possible outcomes between "let her get away with it" and what was shown on video.

False dilemma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I get so weary of the focus being on amount of force when the simple truth is -- the student was IN THE WRONG. Why do people go out of their way to paint her as some poor victim? She acted ... there was a reaction. The rest of it is semantics.

 

Allowing the girl to keep using her phone is more of a distraction than you realize. Sorry, but allowing that to continue undermines the authority of the teacher and the administration. If the teacher's authority is gone, that is a serious problem.

A punishment later doesn't remove the impression that the teacher has no authority in the room.

 

bigpern lives in a fantasy world where compliance comes through "empower[ing] the students to recognize that they are valued by figures in authority."

 

And this is why I feel like a hamster because I've been through it about 10 times already. Within empty-hand control there are two steps - soft-hand technique, which is using hand pressure, holds, pressure points; and hard-hand technique, which is using more physical force. He jumps straight to violent force from verbalization. It's not even clear in the video if he had escalated while on the verbalization level from the polite, clear commands to forceful verbalization.

 

The discussion here (and it has been a good one), is whether her action warranted the reaction it received. This place would be pretty dull if we looked at an incident like this and said, "Well it happened. The rest is semantics."