We are talking about this in my Integrating Children with Special Needs class. Just wondering what everyone else's view are on this?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/424499...-today_people/

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I think he's lucky he was only pepper sprayed.

If there's truly "no issues anywhere else" why is he in a special classroom? Why doesn't mom haul her butt to school to "talk him down"? Why should there be a special task force to "talk him down"?

When he's arrested as a 16 yr old and tried as an adult, is mom going to go on national television and say "he's always been a good boy, he just has trouble with transitions.. someone should have handled it differently".

I think if a child has problems, it needs to be helped. But, that's a big kid, with a sharp stick???? And the cops held out pepper spray and said "drop the stick" but, Mom felt like they should have been nicer to him?????

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my honest opinion is that the school and police were not in the wrong about this situation. I have had to deal with kids like this in the past, much older bigger kids, and it is scary . This kid said he would kill his teachers.
It's sad to say but maybe he had parents that didn't say "no" to him.
They did say he's been evaluated and there was nothing wrong with him.

The boy that I dealt with had been arrested at school for violence and put in the mental hospital for two weeks and he came out a perfect angel because it was the first time in his life someone said "no" to him....yes the school tried to say no to him but at home, there were no rules or consequences because his mom had been so severely abused as a child . She went to the extreme opposite and never disciplined him.
The hospital put him on a schedule, monitored what he ate and put him on heavy meds but he had a firm understanding what rules were after this and learned how to control himself.

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But he wasn't in a regular school and even though there hasn't been any release of info saying he does have something wrong with him he was enrolled in a school specifically for kids with social and emotional problems. This was not regular public school. So just curious, does that change your views?

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No. He still needs to put down the weapon, or be stopped some other way. It was still his choice to be stopped some other way.

I have been pepper sprayed. (for a cop friend who needed a volunteer) It's awful, but not for very long. It's not a lasting injury. It's not prison. It's a short term, yet severe consequence to not following orders to put down the weapon.

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Here this Mom is on a NATIONAL program and has the opportunity to publicly apologize to the poor teachers who were so fearful that they had to lock themselves in a closet to protect themselves... you know the ones he threatened to KILL..... but no

It's about what the COPS did.

The cops who had been called already twice about this kid. The cops who know better than to lay a FINGER trying to take this kid to the ground.

Yeah... those cops who can't really DO anything because he's a little kid. They are supposed to use words. Just like we are supposed to solve everything with words.

Anything more than words is mean and wrong.

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When I first read the headline, I thought..."OMG...They did WHAT to WHO!" I couldn't believe it. Then I read the article and thought..."Oh, well of course they did."

Tell you what, I bet that kids thinks twice in the future.

I do wonder if any one of the teachers in the classroom were trained in crisis intervention. If not, they should have been...if anyone has something to complain about, I would think it would be the teachers.

As for the Mom's comment that he has responded to verbal intervention before..."Hmmm...he didn't respond to PUT DOWN THE STICK."

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http://www.denverpost.com/breakingne...739?source=rss

Lakewood Public Schools officials say they are seeing more children in preschool and elementary school with assaultive or threatening behavior.

"As a district we've been very concerned about it," said Polly Ortiz-Lutz, the school district's director of special education.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/aidan-ellio...3307371&page=2

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Boy, the next time someone starts a thread around here I hope it has nothing to do with a dck who is threatening to kill a provider because she didn't give him seconds on chicken nuggets!

It is frightnening that these situations are happening at such young ages. I always wonder where the responsibilty is when it comes to the parent? At what point is a parent NOT responsible for their childs behaviors/actions? 5 yrs old? 8 yrs old? 15? I don't mean to imply that parents are responsible every time Johnny hits at daycare or is naughty, I mean the responsibilty in curbing your child's bad behavior, becoming involved and working to stop behaviors that lead to threatening to kill your teachers when you aren't even old enough to be alone yet.

I wonder what the truth is behind her statement that he has no issues anywhere else? WHY does he supposedly have no issues at other places?

I'd like to know what his homelife is like. How did the mother manage to get her child enrolled in a special school if he didn't qualify to be there?

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I watched the video, he was in a normal school and normal classroom. But, after this incident, he was put in a school for kids with social and emotional problems.

Then, when I looked the story up on another site, it said that the classroom was full of kids, and when he started throwing chairs, the teacher had the other kids leave, and apparently (although, that part was confusing) a second teacher came in to try and help.

I still think the police did the right thing. During the whole Columbine ordeal, the cops did nothing except gather outside the school. This time they were being more proactive.

If you listen to the video, you actually feel bad for the boy. He says "I did deserve it I guess" he wishes he could stop himself.. but, maybe he really can't. What kind of adult life can that get him? How awful would it be to know by the age of 8 that you are not going to have the adult life you want because you can't control yourself, even though you want to.

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He WAS in a special school when this happened. He transferred to another special school.

He has a long history of violence. His Mom has been called to school thirteen times this year alone.

I do not believe that he only has problems in school. She's safe to say this because anyone else who is caring for him for money can't discuss him due to confidentiality.... she can say whatever she wants and won't be worried about anyone disclosing THEIR experience with him in child care or preschool.

He may not have problems at home but he also may have a YES home where he has nothing to be upset about.

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I bet they don't have age appropriate games they are playing at home either. My son (9) has been telling me for the past 2 years that his friends from school are playing Halo.

Makes me nuts! They have age ratings for a reason. These kids are too young for this stuff and I'm betting the Violent 8 year old has a whole arsenol of non-age appropriate games that he plays all the time.

I fear for our future.

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Why does a child with aggressive tendencies, behavior problems, and who attends a school because of these problems have access to a giant stick?

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I didn't watch the video but the second paragraph of the news article says;

“The school he was at was for children who have social and emotional behavioral issues,” the boy’s mom, Mandy, who is identified only by her first name to protect her family’s privacy, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Wednesday. “They [knew] what the kids are capable of before they took them on. And then they could have also called and asked for a special [police] unit who deals with children … in these crisis situations.”

so the school was for special needs kids as the mom is trying to say the school should have been better prepared since it was a special needs school and the staff should expect these types of situations. Now after the incident they have moved him to a school that is for "behavioral" problems. So ???? I am still just in shock that this is an 8 year old child! Where does such rage and anger come from in a child that age?

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He ripped up part of the room's wood molding and used the piece as a weapon.

I am interested in what they are or will say about the reason the child became angry. What were his triggers? What set him off in such a dangerous rage at the age of 8!?!?

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It is sad that police have to use pepper spray to control a child. Unless this child has issues he cannot control due to mental health, ADHD, or something in that nature, which it says he was evaluated and results came that that he was normal, then you have to look at his upbringing.

Did he had set rules in his house? Was he disciplined when needed? Or did parent just let him do whatever he wanted to do with no consequences? Did parent cover up for him and defend him when he did something wrong?

Sorry this is long, but here goes......I had one child in care that was coloring and then began to crumble the page. I told him to please not ruin the page becuase it was the only one he was getting. He then proceeded to tear the page in pieces and demanded another one. I told him " I just told you that you were not going to get another one, but you decided to tear it up.

He got extremely upset and began to cry out of control. I told him to calm down, he didnt' so I just ignored him and proceeded to getting the other kids ready for dismissal. After 20 minutes of hearing his cries, I called his mom to tell her what had happend and to just make sure she was coming on time to pick him up. She said she was and I told him that I just spoke to his mom and she was coming in few minutes to pick him up.

He calmed down and stopped crying immediately. Within moments he was tear free and relaxed, he started talking and told me that he was going to buy a gun and shoot me and my family. Well you can image the shock I was in when he said that. I asked him to repeat what he said becuase I think I heard him wrong. Nope, he repeated himself exactly the same way as the first time. I was furious. Image, a 4 year old making a death threat to me and my own children. My blood was boiling. My handbook states any harmful behavior to provider or family, calls for immediate termination. However, I decided just to suspend him for one day. When his mom finally arrives, I explained the situation to her and she was not too happy when I told her what he said. Then she was extremely upset when I told her that he was suspended for one day, not to bring him back the next day, to bring him back the following week.

She had to work the next day and couldn't take off, she said what was she going to do with him then. I told her that I was sorry, but it was not my concern. Anyways, the next day I get an email from her saying that I was wrong for suspending him, that I should have spoken to him and told him that what he said was wrong. By not letting him return the next day was not going to make him understand what he said was wrong. Well, I have a different opinon on this. Child loves coming to my daycare, by not allowing him to come becuase of something wrong he did, will teach him that he has to follow rules and not say bad things in order to continue attending my daycare. Well DCM become so agressive in her opinon of how I was wrong, that I terminated her on the spot due to parent/provider differences. Which is also stated in handbook. Was I wrong? What would u have done?

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this was pretty alarming. I have a lot of thoughts on it but not the time to post. The one thing I will say is that on the live interview AND in the interview clips of him at home, he was picking at his face and eyebrows. This is a very clear sign of anxiety in children. I know because I did this same thing and my household was chaotic. Something is going on in the home that is very unhealthy for him. Kids don't just do random things and what is especially concerning is that numerous doctors have given no diagnosis. That doesn't mean nothing is wrong though but most likely, his home life is awful. The mom was strangely distant in the interview from my estimation. She didn't seem to have strong feelings about the fact that her 2nd grader threatened to kill someone.

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What is up with Columbine? They gotta have something in the water. at first I was like "why didn't they just grab him?" - then I thought about it and actually the kid was at less risk of injury with pepper spray than if they had just tried to restrain him. Maybe they should start using that instead of time out? hahaha

Too bad the Mom isn't letting the kid learn the lesson by sticking up for him. she should say "See - if you act crazy, people just might do something about it."

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I logged out because of all the negative comments regarding this child and this situation. I am worried when others find out my child had similiar situations on multiple accounts.

I am assuming, like my child, that this boy does have some issues that go way beyond just always being given a Yes at home and not being able to handle No at school. My child cleared out classrooms when he was younger. Had a task force of sorts set up at school for when he lost control. My son still struggles, but with age, things are calming. He often couldn't get his brain to stop. He lacked that control. He wanted to stop being angry, but couldn't.

And surprise, at home he wasn't nearly as difficult. Not because he always got a yes out of us but rather because we KNEW HIM. WE had our home set up so we didn't overload his hyper sensory system. Florescent lights make a noise that my son can hear, most classrooms have these lights. Drove him a bit mental. Light touches would physcially be painful to him. He needed hard touches and deep pressure. His anxiety levels were always high, understandably with the sensory system he has.

So I am an odd one here. I do not feel this was dealt with appropriately. He is a young child with known difficulties, he wasn't just being a little brat. The school should have of had a decent plan in place. Just 2 cents worth from a parent who can relate.

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Thing is. This isn't an act. He isn't 'acting' crazy. This child has some serious issues.

Just because he hasn't been diagnosed doesn't mean it isn't serious. Mental health issues are things doctors try to put off diagnosing for good reason.

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I've known a few families personally with kids that are unpredictable like this. It just really makes me afraid for my own kids at school. I actually contacted my oldest son's teacher one year because he was very good friends with a boy that I witnessed yelling death threats at his daycare provider's husband (in public at the bus stop). I do not want my kids picking up stuff like that.

It just really worries me what some kids are capable of. I'm glad the police were able to use a weapon that diffused the situation, but that didn't do any permanent damage. I would totally agree with police doing the exact same thing if it were my child carrying on like that ...

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http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s...tendent_d.html

“The (classroom) he was at was for children who have social and emotional behavioral issues...They knew what the kids are capable of before they took them on,” Mandy said on NBC's 'Today' show. “I do want them (police officers) to get training...for crisis situations with children.

He was IN a classroom for children with emotional issues. He did this IN the SPECIAL classroom of only SEVEN kids. He switched to ANOTHER one at ANOTHER school after this.

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The same district as Columbine?

The kid said he deserved it?!

No remorse, no apologies, no sympathy from me.

Seems to me like this child has issues and the mom isn't willing to accept the issues at hand. At the rate he's going to be a delinquent in and out of the court system.

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I did like that the child said "I guess I deserved it". I thought that was pretty mature of him. It shows he does understand after the fact, just not in the moment.

I dated a man who's son was in a self contained classroom. Another kid threw a chair across the room, and it hit Collin in the forehead. (He wasn't aiming for Collin, he just threw the chair) Collin had a skull fracture, 40 stitches, brain swelling, seizures and possibly permanent brain damage.

As a parent, I want my kids in the safest environment possible. If that means the sharp stick wielding 8 yr old needs to be pepper sprayed, then I'm OK with that, as long as the child doesn't hurt MY child.

Her story would have been different if the cops tried to talk him down, and he hurt himself instead. What if he'd been so upset that he stabbed himself with the stick? She'd have been outraged that they let him do it. What if he'd tried to stab one of the officers? What if they grabbed him instead? She'd have been mad that they touched him.

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