Girl, 12, Taken Away in Handcuffs for Doodling on Her Desk; Dept. of Ed. Admits To Excessive Punishment
Categories: Teens & Tweens, In The News, Weird But True, Education
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Alexa Gonzalez was handcuffed and detained for doodling on her desk with erasable marker. Credit: Bryan Pace, New York Daily News
A 12-year-old girl in New York City was not only suspended Monday, but taken in handcuffs to the police precinct across the street, for doodling on her desk with an erasable marker.
Now, the New York City Department of Education has figured out that the punishment didn't fit the crime.
"The principal made a mistake and the suspension has been lifted," Margie Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Education, tells ParentDish in an official statement on Friday
Feinberg adds the girl is back in her classroom and Principal Marilyn Grant is working to make amends with Gonzalez's family.
Gonzalez was doodling her name on her desk at JHS 190 with an erasable marker when adults at the school caught her, slapped handcuffs on her and marched her to the police precinct directly across the street.
Matthew Mittenthal, another spokesman for the Department of Education, confirmed the strange tale was true.
The New York Daily News reported that police didn't know quite how to respond to the request to take the rogue scribbler into custody.
"Even when we're asked to make an arrest, common sense should prevail, and discretion used in deciding whether an arrest or handcuffs are really necessary," police spokesman Paul Browne tells the Daily News.
The trip to the police precinct and suspension were all for doodling "I love my friends Abby and Faith" and "Lex was here. 2/1/10" with a smiley face on her desk.
Gonzalez tells the Daily News she spent several hours at the precinct.
"I started crying, like, a lot," she tells the paper. "I made two little doodles. It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary."
Her mother, Moraima Camacho, tells the Daily News her daughter's near-perfect attendance record has been marred by the suspension.
"She's been throwing up," Camacho tells the paper. "The whole situation has been a nightmare."
Gonzalez says she never thought doodling with a lime green marker would get her in so much trouble.
"I just thought I'd get a detention," she adds. "I thought maybe I would have to clean [the desk]."
Even though education officials are investigating, Department of Education spokesman David Cantor tells the Daily News the school's actions were clearly questionable.
"Based on what we've seen so far, this shouldn't have happened," he says.
Other New York students also have been handcuffed for minor infractions, according to the Daily News.
Three years ago, a 13-year-old was arrested for writing "okay" on her desk at Intermediate School 201 in Brooklyn. Two years ago, the Daily News reports, a 5-year-old in Queens was cuffed and sent to a psychiatric ward after throwing a fit in his kindergarten class. Then, last year, a 12-year-old girl was arrested for doodling on her desk at the Hunts Point School 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.
"This should be a wake-up call to the mayor, the city council and the Department of Education," Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU, says on the organization's Web site.
"There is a crisis in our schools because they put the police in charge of routine discipline that ought to be handled by educators," she adds. "We all want safe schools, but that means that our children must be kept safe by those assigned to protect them."
Even though she is no longer suspended, Gonzalez still went to family court Tuesday where she was assigned eight hours of community service and a book report. She also has to write an essay about she she learned through all this.
"I definitely learned not to ever draw on a desk," she tells the Daily News.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Pinkthenred 2-05-2010 @ 6:54PM
Aside from putting handcuffs on her and demanding the police arrest her, I think the little snot deserved to be scared. It's too bad the principal was too much of an idiot to do it properly. Now little precious is getting no suspension and no punishment for her actions. Nice message, you can deface property that isn't your own and make your teachers the bad guys.
Reply
Jerry 2-05-2010 @ 8:11PM
The property wasn't defaced, moron. It was an erasable marker. Do you know what erasable means? It means it can be erased. Thus, no permanent damage was done. Get a dictionary, idiot.
Miss_ T 2-05-2010 @ 8:13PM
Are you insane. This is not a juvenile delinquent. She has near perfect attendance. No priors. She is twelve! When she should be learning that the police are there to protect and to serve the school is using them as a threat. That's like telling a child if you do not behave I'm gonna take you to the doctor to get a shot. (I've heard that one before) Totally stupid on the schools part. They need to handle their own discipline problems and not tie up the police dept. with foolishness.
Casey 2-05-2010 @ 8:34PM
I agree with you 110%...she deserves it for being such a little snotty brat. Oh and YES it does send the wrong message and make her teachers look like the bad guy! That is the problem with todays society....kids & teenagers have too much attitude towards their parents and adults. They think they know everything and can get away with anything. I think she should stay in jail overnight...then she'll really be scared! Her mommy and daddy won't always save her spoiled self.
Dee 2-05-2010 @ 8:41PM
No punishment? Did you read the rest of the article? She has to do community service and write a report as well as an essay about what she learned. What would you have them do? Public flogging? She's 12 years old for crying out loud, and it was an erasable marker, not even permanent. Kids make mistakes, and the responsibility of the school is to TEACH, not threaten. And why are handcuffs in the school at all?
Realmancan 2-05-2010 @ 8:39PM
Get the whole story pinko. She is CURRENTLY suspended. But with your attitude, I'd personally like to have had you in my platoon. It's holier than thou asses like your self that need the real lesson. I'd about bet you are an educator. Am I hitting close to home?
poot 2-08-2010 @ 10:42AM
So, did anyone mention anything about you being a complete a-hole to you yet today? If not, let me be the first.
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:11PM
The property wasn't defaced, moron. It was an erasable marker. Do you know what erasable means? It means it can be erased. Thus, no permanent damage was done. Get a dictionary, idiot.________LOL my my my, um, any comments on the actual story ? Ok then, if it was up to me the little brat would be cleaning off the erasable pen marks on all of the desks. While she was at it she could scrape off all of that harmless gum.
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:11PM
Are you insane. This is not a juvenile delinquent. She has near perfect attendance. No priors. She is twelve! When she should be learning that the police are there to protect and to serve the school is using them as a threat. That's like telling a child if you do not behave I'm gonna take you to the doctor to get a shot. (I've heard that one before) Totally stupid on the schools part. They need to handle their own discipline problems and not tie up the police dept. with foolishness. _____________Whoa I wrote that I thought it was wrong to bring the police into this matter. Not because of her precious feelings, but because the police have enough to deal with and it's the schools responsibility.
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:12PM
No punishment? Did you read the rest of the article? She has to do community service and write a report as well as an essay about what she learned. What would you have them do? Public flogging? She's 12 years old for crying out loud, and it was an erasable marker, not even permanent. Kids make mistakes, and the responsibility of the school is to TEACH, not threaten. And why are handcuffs in the school at all?_________Good! I am glad she is being punished.
helen hunt 2-05-2010 @ 9:11PM
Well unlike you we cannot ALL be perfect, that must be such a burden being perfect!
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:12PM
Get the whole story pinko. She is CURRENTLY suspended. But with your attitude, I'd personally like to have had you in my platoon. It's holier than thou asses like your self that need the real lesson. I'd about bet you are an educator. Am I hitting close to home?____________My attitude is that you shouldn't write on things that don't belong to you...even if it is with an erasable marker. I am proud to be among this dying breed that shows respect for other people's property. lol
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:24PM
Well unlike you we cannot ALL be perfect, that must be such a burden being perfect!__________What are you talking about lady? Do you use this argument when you kid makes a mistake or a bad decision? Do you use it when you get pulled over for a traffic ticket? Really?
PinkThenRed 2-05-2010 @ 9:32PM
I agree with you 110%...she deserves it for being such a little snotty brat. Oh and YES it does send the wrong message and make her teachers look like the bad guy! That is the problem with todays society....kids & teenagers have too much attitude towards their parents and adults. They think they know everything and can get away with anything. I think she should stay in jail overnight...then she'll really be scared! Her mommy and daddy won't always save her spoiled self.__________I agree she should be punished but also think the school acted irresponsibly by trying to bring the police into it and using handcuffs, good grief. I have noticed the complete lack of common sense when it comes to discipline in our public school systems. Either there isn't any or they go postal on the kid. This only makes it easier later for the parents to demand an apology for something their own kid started.
sieben13 2-05-2010 @ 9:44PM
Are you some kind of NUT?????????????
Sr Citzn Mike 2-05-2010 @ 9:47PM
"Defacing the desk" is as over-the-top an exaggeration of the
events as the response by the school was. To deface would imply
some kind of permanent damage. To haul a child out of school in
handcuffs for basically "writing on the chalkboard" is a rather stupid
abuse of power and very close to if not way past child abuse. These
people need to consider real world consequences of their acts.
denise 2-05-2010 @ 10:41PM
you're an idiot!!!!!!
EH 2-05-2010 @ 11:33PM
It was erasable dumbass! She wasn't defacing any property.
Joseph Stalin 2-05-2010 @ 11:47PM
Aside from putting handcuffs on her and demanding the police arrest her, I think the little snot deserved to be scared. It's too bad the principal was too much of an idiot to do her properly. I mean look at her, she's totally hot. I'd do that in a heartbeat.
wboozer 2-05-2010 @ 11:52PM
What sort of depravity would allow a twelve year old to be handled as a desperate felon? You must be a real compassionate dad!