For The Children

School Offers Counseling for Students Troubled by Pastry-Gun Incident

"if your children are 'troubled' by another kid biting a pastry into something that looks sort of like a gun and waving said pastry around, you have already failed as a parent. The two-day suspension indicates that the school considered this a 'Level 3' violation, but exactly what part of the Code was in play is not clear. The letter suggests Josh disrupted the class, but the reference to 'inappropriate gestures' involving food can only mean he was also charged with a pastry-based-weapons violation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool Offers Counseling for Students Troubled by Pastry-Gun Incident

Children ‘Traumatized and Re-Traumatized by Drones’ in Yemen

"A report from a clinical and forensic psychologist just back from Yemen offers a disturbing picture of the horror drones have inflicted on children, who are 'traumatized and re-traumatized' by the strikes whose use 'amounts to a form of psychological torture and collective punishment.' The findings come from clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Peter Schaapveld, who presented his evidence of a 'psychological emergency' in the country as a result of drone strikes, and of the particularly heavy toll they have on the mental health of children, plagued with PTSD as the mental anguish from the deadly strikes last long after the sound of the unmanned aircraft above." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChildren ‘Traumatized and Re-Traumatized by Drones’ in Yemen

8-year-old girl handcuffed, jailed for two hours

"An 8-year-old girl was handcuffed and held by Alton Police for two hours after throwing a tantrum at school. Jmyha Rickman was hauled in the back of a police squad car. Her guardian said she was treated like a criminal, all 70 lbs. of the young girl. Rickman’s ordeal began at Love Joy Elementary School late Tuesday morning when she apparently had a bad tantrum. At some point, school officials called the Alton Police to handle the situation." Continue reading →

Continue Reading8-year-old girl handcuffed, jailed for two hours

7-Year-Old Suspended, Teacher Says He Shaped Pastry Into Gun

"Academics are hard for Josh, who suffers from ADHD, but he excels in art class. It is Josh's own creativity that may have gotten him into trouble. At Park Elementary school, Josh was enjoying his breakfast pastry when he decided to try and shape it into a mountain. Josh's dad received a phone call from the school saying that Josh has been suspended for two days because he took his breakfast pastry and fashioned it into a gun. Josh's dad was astounded to learn the school chose such a harsh punishment, even after no one was hurt. Late Friday afternoon a letter went home with students explaining the incident saying, 'A student used food to make an inappropriate gesture.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading7-Year-Old Suspended, Teacher Says He Shaped Pastry Into Gun

Making Kids into Thought Criminals in the name of “Zero Tolerance”

"During recess at Mary Blair Elementary School in Loveland, Colorado, second-grader Alex Evans was suspended for playing a game in which he pretended to throw an imaginary grenade into a box containing what he called 'evil forces.' This was interpreted as a violation of the school’s code of conduct, which forbids imaginary fighting and recess play involving imaginary weapons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaking Kids into Thought Criminals in the name of “Zero Tolerance”

Lawsuit claims police forcibly interrogated schoolboy

"Travis alleges that on Jan. 28, 2011, her son was removed from his classroom at Harrison Elementary School by two local police officers, Detective Phil Beach and officer Scott Shepard. The boy was taken to the principal’s office and interrogated about a sex offense that the boy was suspected of committing. Travis says in the lawsuit that she had previously told the school district it was not to allow her son to be interviewed by police without her being present. Travis also says the officers did not have a warrant, did not have a counselor or attorney present for the boy and did not advise him of his constitutional rights. No criminal charges ever were filed against the boy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawsuit claims police forcibly interrogated schoolboy

Students arrested for throwing spitballs, lollipops

"Thousands of Florida students are arrested in school each year and taken to jail for behavior that once warranted a trip to the principal's office — a trend that troubles juvenile-justice and civil-rights leaders who say children are being traumatized for noncriminal acts. Sixty-seven percent of the school arrests last year were for misdemeanors such as disorderly conduct — a catchall, attorneys say, that has been used when children refused to take a cellphone out of a pocket or yelled in class. Fewer than 5 percent faced weapons charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudents arrested for throwing spitballs, lollipops

Student, 10, arrested for having toy gun in backpack

"School administrators in Virginia suspended a 10-year-old boy earlier this month after he was caught with an orange-tipped toy gun in his backpack. Now as he awaits his next meeting with his probation officer, his mother opens up about the incident. She is still in disbelief over what the entire event has done for her son, herself and the community. Just one day after her fifth-grader’s toy gun was discovered on a school bus leaving Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, his mom says he was arrested, dragged to court and questioned, photographed and fingerprinted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudent, 10, arrested for having toy gun in backpack

TSA Detains 3 Year Old In Wheelchair Who Suffers from Spina Bifida

"Lucy, who suffers from Spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair was on her way to Disney World when she was stopped after going through security at her home airport. She, along with her parents and siblings made it through the security checkpoint without a problem until the TSA stopped them on their way to their gate. TSA promptly took away Lucy's favorite toy which led her to weep uncontrollably. TSA demanded that her parents stop recording. Lucy's father, a lawyer, told them that he was legally allowed to record them and her mother said repeatedly 'you're not touching my daughter' without a camera documenting their actions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA Detains 3 Year Old In Wheelchair Who Suffers from Spina Bifida

Mom in America arrested for inviting strippers to 16-year-old son’s birthday party

"A woman in New York was arrested Monday for allegedly hiring strippers to attend her 16-year-old son’s birthday party. Judy Viger, 33, has been charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Police said Viger paid for two adult female entertainers to perform 'personal and intimate dances' at the birthday party at Spare Time Bowling Center in South Glens Falls last year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMom in America arrested for inviting strippers to 16-year-old son’s birthday party