Teachers are in a tough position. They are dealing with 2 dozen students, usually by themselves, and have to put up with all sorts of rowdy and disruptive behavior. And their options for doing so are limited. Talking doesn’t always work, and if they physically restrain a child, they could end up with a lawsuit – or worse. Yet the reliance on calling the police and having children arrested seems to be a rather poor solution for what in many cases seem like classroom disciplinary problems. Judge for yourself:

Girl Arrested for Spitting and Touching
In Standpoint, Idaho, a third-grader with Aspergers syndrome was arrested at Kootenai Elementary school on Jan. 9, 2009, after staffers say she spit on and inappropriately touched two of her instructors. Evelyn Ponderoy, 8, was arrested on suspicion of battery. The family of the girl later filed a tort claim asking Bonner County officials to pay $500,000 in damages over the incident. (USA Today, 7-16-2009, p. 6A)

Boy Arrested for Farting in School
In Florida, a 12-year-old boy was arrested for farting in school. Arresting officer Warren Pottway says he was summoned to the school by a teacher, who said the boy “continually disrupted his classroom environment by breaking wind and shutting off several computers.” The youth admitted to doing these things, Pottway says, so “I informed him as a result of his behavior he was being charged with disruption of a school function.” The perpetrator was booked and later released to his mother. (The Week, 12-5-2Q08, p. 8)

The Wild Broom Waver
In Athens, Georgia, a first-grader at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School was arrested on charges stemming from an attack on her teacher. According to police, the 8-year-old girl repeatedly hit her teacher in front of classmates and acted
“wildly” while waving a large stick outside the class. The girl was charged with battery, disruption of school functions and disorderly conduct and released to her mother’s custody. (USA Today, 4-24-2009, p. 5A)

High School Student Arrested for Spitwads
In Virginia, a high school student was suspended and charged with assault for allegedly shooting plastic “spitwads” at 3 students. Police say that 14-year-old Andrew Mikel violated the school’s zero tolerance policy on weapons when he blew the spitwads through the hallow of a pen. Police refuted criticism that they overreacted, saying “Assault is assault is assault.” (The Week, 2-18-2011, p. 6)

The Steak Knife Fugitive
A girl in elementary school is put through a traumatic arrest in the name of zero tolerance policies at her school, after her mother packed her a knife to eat a steak that had been brought for her lunch during a field trip.

Girl Arrested for Doodling On Her Desk
A girl is handcuffed and dragged out of school in the name of zero tolerance policies for doodling on her desk with an erasable marker.

Girl Arrested for Writing OK
In 2007, Chelsea Fraser found herself in police custody after writing “okay” on her desk. Police handcuffed and arrested her at the school. She was one of several students arrested in the class that day. The others were accused of plastering the walls with stickers.

Kids Arrested for Food Fight
In November 2009, a food fight at a middle school in Chicago, Illinois, prompted a full-scale police response. This resulted in the arrests of 25 children, some as young as 11, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Guns At School
This week in Middleton, Idaho, a second grade boy sparked a full scale lockdown in two schools for bringing what turned out to be a toy gun to class.  Police discovered the toy gun after a 45 minute search of the school, and the boy was suspended.  The lesson?  Talk to your kids about safe weapons, and it might not
be a bad idea to give their backpack a quick look-over as you send them off in the morning. (Dec 4, 2014)