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Students arrested over stick figure drawing

Schweddy

Schweddy

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Source: local6

OCALA, Fla. -- Two boys, ages 9 and 10, were charged with felonies and taken away from school in handcuffs, accused of making violent drawings of stick figures.

The boys were arrested Monday on charges of making a written threat to kill or harm another person, a second-degree felony.

The special education students used pencil and red crayon to draw primitive stick figure scenes on scrap paper that showed a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said.

"The officer found they were drawing these pictures for the sole purpose of intimidating and scaring the victim," said Ocala Police Sgt. Russ Kern.The boy depicted in the drawings told his teacher, who took the sketches and contacted the school dean, Marty Clifford. Clifford called police, who arrested the boys after consulting with the State Attorney's Office.They were also suspended from school.

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Not sure how to react to this...
 
Wait, they were special ed students? Did they understand what they were doing?

What the hell is wrong with kids today!!! :confused:
 
If they would have used this same guideline years ago about a 1/4 of the boys in my 2nd grade class would have been haul off in chains. Of course we thought nothing of bringing toy guns to school and playing "army" or "cops and robbers" at recess.

I have to wonder about a state where you can charge a 9 year old with a felony.
 
wtf just happened to giving people detention or suspension or after school work punishment why arrest a 9-10 yr old how retarded who ever let the arrest of school children over a picture pass needs to be in that special ed. class
 
Wow, what is our world coming to. This kind of stuff happens when your a kid. The idea of death really can't be comprehended, especially by a Special Ed. Student. There is absolutely no reason to arrest a 9 and 10 year old on felony charges.

I think maybe the adults overreacted to the situation. Why not just sit them down and explain to them what they did was wrong and why it was wrong. Sure a punishment would still be necessary, but arresting a child isn't going to do anything but scare them and probably scar them mentally and emotionally for the rest of their lives.
 
AmongstTheFallen said:
Wow, what is our world coming to. This kind of stuff happens when your a kid. The idea of death really can't be comprehended, especially by a Special Ed. Student. There is absolutely no reason to arrest a 9 and 10 year old on felony charges.

I think maybe the adults overreacted to the situation. Why not just sit them down and explain to them what they did was wrong and why it was wrong. Sure a punishment would still be necessary, but arresting a child isn't going to do anything but scare them and probably scar them mentally and emotionally for the rest of their lives.
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Welcome to Debate Politics. I like your avatar Dude.
 
Back in the day, things like that were overlooked and thought nothing of. I dont think they are in the state of mind to realize what they are doing. They should have been talked to, not arrested.
 
Chaos10187 said:
Back in the day, things like that were overlooked and thought nothing of. I dont think they are in the state of mind to realize what they are doing. They should have been talked to, not arrested.
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Huh, actually talk to the students. That's a new and interesting thought. I'm beginning to think no one's tried that in the last, say, 30 years or so.
 
Huh, actually talk to the students. That's a new and interesting thought. I'm beginning to think no one's tried that in the last, say, 30 years or so.
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Actully that's very true. The faculty and staff in our schools no longer try to do anything. With the increasing behavioral issues in today's public schools the teachers start with the mindset that all students are bad and need to be punished. Most of the time we have no chance to explain the situation and in most cases discipline is mandatory no matter what the situation is.

For example, two years back during my sophomore year, I was in a fight where another student attacked me. The faculty instantly jumped into the fight and stopped it then took us to the main office. Myself being a third degree black belt at the time did not do anything but block the other students attacks, but had the ability to if the need had arrised. Sure, they questioned us about what happened, but in the end I still got suspended because it was mandatory and my record says says I was suspended for fighting.

Maybe what I really mean is that they will talk to us, but they don't LISTEN. If they listened to us sometimes maybe there wouldn't be so many problems, but listening to the words of a student is considered wrong. We "might" lie. What's the point in that? The direction this world is heading scares me sometimes.
 
AmongstTheFallen said:
Actully that's very true. The faculty and staff in our schools no longer try to do anything. With the increasing behavioral issues in today's public schools the teachers start with the mindset that all students are bad and need to be punished. Most of the time we have no chance to explain the situation and in most cases discipline is mandatory no matter what the situation is.

For example, two years back during my sophomore year, I was in a fight where another student attacked me. The faculty instantly jumped into the fight and stopped it then took us to the main office. Myself being a third degree black belt at the time did not do anything but block the other students attacks, but had the ability to if the need had arrised. Sure, they questioned us about what happened, but in the end I still got suspended because it was mandatory and my record says says I was suspended for fighting.

Maybe what I really mean is that they will talk to us, but they don't LISTEN. If they listened to us sometimes maybe there wouldn't be so many problems, but listening to the words of a student is considered wrong. We "might" lie. What's the point in that? The direction this world is heading scares me sometimes.
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Im just curious if all schools are like that, I do know in ours, it is like that. Like in our school, they are threatening us that if we surf web forums to be suspended, and such. Which is rediculas. Even comments and statements can send students to the office. We also have teachers who try to pin stuff on students by exagerating, and of course, many administrators believe teachers over us.

Like Fallen said, we are (most of the time) assumed to be bad kids, and which punishment is manditory, even if such actions are not our fault, acording to their "code"
 
AmongstTheFallen said:
Actully that's very true. The faculty and staff in our schools no longer try to do anything. With the increasing behavioral issues in today's public schools the teachers start with the mindset that all students are bad and need to be punished. Most of the time we have no chance to explain the situation and in most cases discipline is mandatory no matter what the situation is.

For example, two years back during my sophomore year, I was in a fight where another student attacked me. The faculty instantly jumped into the fight and stopped it then took us to the main office. Myself being a third degree black belt at the time did not do anything but block the other students attacks, but had the ability to if the need had arrised. Sure, they questioned us about what happened, but in the end I still got suspended because it was mandatory and my record says says I was suspended for fighting.

Maybe what I really mean is that they will talk to us, but they don't LISTEN. If they listened to us sometimes maybe there wouldn't be so many problems, but listening to the words of a student is considered wrong. We "might" lie. What's the point in that? The direction this world is heading scares me sometimes.
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I think a lot the problems you're addressing here are a direct result of the gutting of the mental health system. At least here in Oregon. Massive cuts in the mental health system forced schools and then jails to deal with mentally ill persons. One student's behavior can and does effect the entire class. Often that one student takes up the majority of the teachers time. The teacher ends up dealing with behavior issues and not teaching the subject at hand.
 
Kenneth T. Cornelius said:
That does seem strange. Would you expand on this a bit?
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Surely.

For some reason, they don't like us surfing forums. Weither its because we dont focus on our work? Or not, i dont know. They could also be concerned about us "plotting" things. (You know, as scared as everyone is, they may be concerned.

Pacridge said:
I think a lot the problems you're addressing here are a direct result of the gutting of the mental health system. At least here in Oregon. Massive cuts in the mental health system forced schools and then jails to deal with mentally ill persons. One student's behavior can and does effect the entire class. Often that one student takes up the majority of the teachers time. The teacher ends up dealing with behavior issues and not teaching the subject at hand.
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I cannot agree with you more. Many priveleges are taken away due to one student. (That doesn't DIRECTLY tie into your statement, but they are similar). Then the teachers get in the mindset that they will NOT let that happen again. And they take extremes to make sure it doesnt.

Only arguement I can POSSIBLIY see with the fighting arguement, is favoritism, but that STILL isnt a valid arguement, imo.
 
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Pacridge said:
If they would have used this same guideline years ago about a 1/4 of the boys in my 2nd grade class would have been haul off in chains. Of course we thought nothing of bringing toy guns to school and playing "army" or "cops and robbers" at recess.

I have to wonder about a state where you can charge a 9 year old with a felony.
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Yes, because 9 and 10 year olds do not drag off smaller children and beat said child to death. Oh wait, yes they do..............UK case anyone?

If they didn't at first realize that what they did was wrong, I'd put odds down they do now.
 
The real question in this situation isnt the fact that the state had laws put in order to protect students from harm or violence at school. We dont want another Columbine happening do we?
The real question is, where are we today when kids are growing up in a society where they are thinking about harming another humanbeings.
I guess you could blame it on many things... Video Games, Action Figures, Violent Movies, hey some might even blame it on our own administration. (We do have a war-monger as a president don't we?) Thats a wonderful example of peace in the home, as well as peace in schools.

I guess our government maybe should focus more on solving A - where did we go wrong in our society to make kids to come to that point. (After all, children can't be born evil can they?) Perhaps if we solved A, it would result in solving B - the whole "I worry about a state that charges a 9 year old with a felony."

I guess the question im asking is: Is the government all to blame?

Or could mom & dad // society have just as much impact?
 
Oh yes did I mention -- my friend was suspended for 3 days for stating that the President should be subjected to harm.

She got lucky -- most schools would've turned her in.
 
Pacridge said:
Huh, actually talk to the students. That's a new and interesting thought. I'm beginning to think no one's tried that in the last, say, 30 years or so.
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oh wow, I went to a private elementary school and my friend was thrown out when he drew the nazi sign. This was in 2nd grade. He saw it on tv and drew it, he didn't know anything about it and was kicked out, ridicuilous, but this is even worse
 
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