5-Year-Old Video Revisited Domestically
As incidents of students assaulting teachers and violating teachers' authority continue to occur, a video from the past showing a U.S. police officer arresting an elementary school student who hit a teacher and handcuffing the child has resurfaced online, sparking heated debates among netizens.
On the 31st, various social media platforms and online communities posted a video titled "American Student Who Hit Teacher's Chest." The video shows police officers in Key West, Florida, responding to an elementary school in December 2018 and arresting an 8-year-old student.
In the video, two police officers tell the child, "You are going to jail soon. Get up and put your hands behind your back," then frisk the child. The police then handcuff the child's hands behind their back. Even as the child begins to cry, the officers ignore it and escort the child out of the school.
At the time, the police reportedly responded to a call reporting that "the child punched the teacher's chest."
It was reported that when the teacher tried to seat the child properly in the cafeteria, the child punched the teacher's chest, saying, "Don't touch my body." When the teacher tried to calm the child by taking them outside the cafeteria, the child reportedly said to the teacher, "My mom will hit your butt."
After being arrested by the police, the child was detained in a juvenile detention center for several minutes on assault charges and even had a mugshot taken.
During this process, the police said, "You know this is a very serious matter, right?" and "I don't want to do this to you either. The problem is that you made a mistake." They then told the child, "It's time for you to reflect on your mistake and grow. Don't repeat the same mistake again."
The U.S. federal Teacher Protection Act stipulates that "when teachers discipline students or maintain order in the classroom, the school is not held responsible for any harm caused as a result." Schools can expel students who violate teachers' authority or file criminal charges (Massachusetts), and students who assault teachers face immediate suspension and expulsion procedures within 30 days (New Jersey).
'Proper Education' vs 'Excessive' ... Netizens Divided
This video, which was controversial even within the U.S., recently became a hot topic among South Korean netizens in connection with the Seoicho incident.
Some netizens responded strongly, saying, "I thought it was just to scare them, but it was real," "Introducing this domestically is urgent to restore teachers' authority," "Isn't this proper education?" and "Let's not just seek human rights but educate early."
On the other hand, some netizens criticized, saying, "This is a bit much. Is there no middle ground?" "It feels satisfying now, but detention seems too extreme," and "An 8-year-old can understand basic right and wrong, but such punishment methods don't seem like appropriate reform."
The incident was also controversial in the U.S. for violating the child's human rights.
Benjamin Crump, a human rights lawyer who released the video in 2020, pointed out, "This video is a heartbreaking example of how our education and law enforcement systems treat children like criminals and train them to become criminals."
The child's parents also claimed through their lawyer, "My son almost received a guilty verdict at age 8 because he has a disability."
In response, Sean Brandenburg, then police chief of Key West, issued a statement saying, "According to the police report from the scene, the officers followed standard procedures." The local police authorities stated they were simply following the arrest manual.
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