Reply #24: Not A "Defender" per se

[TornadoTN]

I'm by no means a defender of the police in the circumstance, I believe there are other, alternative methods for which this could have been dealt with without resorting to strong-arm tactics.

But reading the article, it plainly describes a situation where the girl was out of control. Again, let me say, I dont believe this was appropriate in this case. However, my wife is a teacher here in Eastern Tennessee, teaches 7th graders English and Reading. I have heard horror stories about the things that some kids are doing and getting away with because the administration is too afraid to act. For instance, one student a couple months back went off in class, throwing desks, chairs, etc. and threatening to come back and kill everyone in the classroom (his father is a well-known gun salesman in the area). To make things worse, he has been known to do this sort of thing before. When the teachers called the office, they took their time to respond. The end verdict was a slap on the wrist phone call to the parents, who laughed and thought it was funny. Talking to other teachers, this happens VERY often in our area, and the educational community turns their head.

I guess it depends on the circumstance and the degree of competent parenting, but I would welcome just an ounce of this type of action in our area, because I am truly concerned that it is going to end up tragic.