Think back to when you were a kid at school: did you ever doodle on the desk? I know I did, it's just one of those things that school desks seem to attract, along with chewing gum stuck underneath. But perhaps students today are learning to be more respectful of school property.
So what do you think of this case from New York?
A twelve-year-old schoolgirl has been suspended for doodling her name on her desk with an erasable marker. Not only that, but Alexa Gonzalez was also taken in handcuffs to the police station to answer for her 'crime' of writing "I love my friends Abby and Faith" and "Lex was here. 2/1/10" with a smiley face on her desk.
The New York Daily News reports that police didn't know quite how to respond to the request to take the little girl into custody. Alexa spent several hours at the police station, before her suspension was lifted and the school has since admitted that it may have over-reacted.
But she isn't the only New York student to have been 'cuffed for minor infractions
Three years ago, a thirteen-year-old was arrested for writing 'OK' on her desk at a school in Brooklyn. Two years ago, the Daily News reports that a five-year-old was handcuffed and sent to a psychiatric ward after throwing a fit in nursery school. Then, last year, another twelve-year-old was arrested for doodling on her desk in the Bronx.
A class action lawsuit was filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union just weeks ago against New York City for using "excessive force" in middle and high schools.
Even though she is no longer suspended, Gonzalez still went to family court last Tuesday. She was sentenced to eight hours of community service and a book report. She also has to write an essay about what this experience has taught her.
Has she learned her lesson? She tells the Daily News: "I definitely learned not to ever draw on a desk".
What do you think? Do we need to get tougher with misbehaving schoolchildren? Or is this punishment way over the top? Leave your comment below and have your say on school discipline
Source [ParentDish US]