Should Texas Cops Be Giving Tickets to 6-Year-Olds?

I work in a suspension hearing office, and was dean in a large HS for 14 years. A few years ago I would have said, "Yes, totally ridiculous, what can a kindergartner do?". Today I sing a different tune. I see more and more elementary school age children being suspended and removed from school for assaults on each other and staff, sometimes causing injuries to others.Elementary school children are also charged with sexual misconduct. Young children are no longer the sweet naive beings they were a few short years ago. In addition, parents are much more likely to press charges on a child who fought or injured their child. What was once a fight after school, now involves police reports and charges filed. Are tickets and court dates the answer? Who knows?

Reply

Holy crap! Is this real? I understand kids are bad but giving them tickets is ridiculous. If children are so bad that other children are being seriously harmed the parent needs to be responsible. Also the teacher if this happened during class. 6 year old childen are not that tall. They can be controlled. We just need people to control them. And i don't mean put them in cages but its obvious that they need discipline if they think it is ok to harm others. Sorry but tickets are way too extreme.

Reply

dougalcandy: don't you think it's a little bit ignorant to lump all "parents" into a category of uncaring and not teaching their children right from wrong? Just because you work in an environment where you end up seeing a great deal of the results or effects of BAD parenting doesn't mean that all, most, or even many parents out there are bad and not teaching their children.

In general: I agree with holding the parents responsible for the childrens' behavior, because ultimately it is up to each parent or set of parents to teach their kids right from wrong. That said, I think it's difficult in situations like on the school yard or on the bus, because parents aren't there to teach, moderate, and discipline if necessary.

And let's face it: a 6-year old doesn't always learn the lesson the first time around -- so is a parent who has made strong attempts to teach their kid right from wrong and whose kid is generally known as "a good egg" be issued a citation or ticket on the one occasion their kid has an issue? Or should such strong action be reserved for "problem" cases? It's a pretty touchy situation, at any rate.

Reply

I say bring good old fashion paddling. The principal in my school would paddle us if we did something wrong. They should put God back in school also.

Reply

I find this really outrageous. I don't see how it's fit to give a 6 year old a ticket, when a 6 year old doesn't even know how to read yet. How is the police going to issue a 6 year old a ticket, make them go to court and deal with the law at the age.. They don't even know nor understand what the law is at that age. For students who do disrupt or have behavioral problems, they should be in the special needs class's. I thought that's what those class's were for. I also thought that we had teachers who deal with kid's that have behavioral problems. There suppose to be specially trained for those types of children. Issuing tickets to kids at such a young age for something that is not even a crime, should be the crime. I don't understand what our world is turning into. Oh that's right fear mongering and GOVERNMENT CONTROL. I think there needs to be a STOP put to this now before they start arresting our kids and putting them in jail for blurting out in class or disagreeing with the teacher. This is a bunch of BS and I will not stand for it.

I'm in Washington and the minute my daughters start school and tell me they got a ticket or that police are there writing tickets to there class mates for being disruptive, is the minute my daughters will no longer attend public schools.

I just don't find this right at all and I find it breaking the constitution and our rights. A child that young is at school to learn right and wrong and to learn there ABC's and 123's. Not what a ticket and a court room is. This is just another way for the government to get more money out of these innocent kid's parents to help them pay for more of there BS. If we the people allow this to continue, what's next?

I wanna know how they can even be written a ticket for something that's not breaking a law. When did it become a crime for a 6 year old to be disruptive in class, argue with other students.? Are police going to start coming in our homes and give our kids tickets for fighting with there siblings, or back talking us as there parents? I mean seriously what is next with these controlling law enforcement/government people.

Plain and simple this is not right and if people allow it they will take it further.

Reply

Its about the money. As the republic continues a slow crumble, the parasite of government will continue to slowly kill the host. This is a natural cycle: nothing new under the sun.

Reply

Parents need to step up and tell the police to BACK OFF! They are WAY out of LINE!

When I was a kid there were fights in school, teasing, bullying, we played dodge ball. Heck I was teased and bullied A LOT as a kid - but I didn't turn out to be a psychotic killer. Most of it comes down to parents are NOT BEING PARENTS anymore. Part of it is in most homes BOTH parents work outside the home, the kids are left with daycare or babysitters. My wife and I purposely worked opposite shifts so one of us as ALWAYS home with our kids. Parents need to start taking RESPONSIBILITY or DON'T have kids.

The schools want you to put your kids on DRUGS. Ever READ the inserts for those drugs? Those things cause more harm than good! While were on the subject how about all those shots you are giving your kids. Ever read the inserts for those? Ever read what's IN THEM? Yeah - there's stuff in them that will harm and could KILL your kid. Now how about all the fluoride they put in the water and the dentist so lovingly puts on your kids teeth. Do you know where Sodium Fluoride comes from? Do you even know what it is? Try going out and reading on it - oh and you might even find out that the NAZI's put fluoride in the water supply and in concentration camps to keep the people docile - it's fact - it's history. "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." Stop feeding kids JUNK, stop letting them spend hours a day watching T.V., stop letting them spend hours a day on first person shooters like "Call of Duty" and such, stop letting them spend hours on the internet. When I was a kid we play OUTSIDE with FRIENDS, we played baseball, football, and yes we even played "army" - but none of us turned out to be crazed lunatics. Kids today are lazy overweight, many of ADD or ADHD, many have violent streaks a mile wide. Ask your self WHY and do something about it.

Grab your coconuts (male or female) and stand up and be a parent. The schools are also NOT a baby sitting service, it is NOT their job to teach your kids to be respectable, moral human beings - that is YOUR job. The teachers and schools are their to EDUCATE your children. Yes, my step father was a teacher (retired), my mother was a teacher (retired), my uncle is a retired High School principle - so I know something or two about the education system.

Enough said.

Reply

The Government wants control of our children. Once our children are in their hands, they have all the control of them. Giving a 6 year old a ticket? come on now! even the paddling might not work either, as many kids laugh at the fact they are spanked. Not only that, what if one of the teachers gets violently angry and severely hurts the child? and then blames it on the kid...not all parents are to blame for their childrens misbehavior either. Its also other people they are around. I watch who my children hang around, they are still very little yet, ages 1, 2, and 3. I have nieces and nephews who act up really bad sometimes, and im doing my best to discipline my children starting early so they dont end up like them. I dont spank or hit, im just very stern with them. well, mostly my 3 year old. But she doesnt "act up" all the time. Spanking a child just doesnt work sometimes. Sometimes i wonder if anything will work? kids are getting tough in this generation, and really bad! 6 years is a very young age to be getting a ticket and going to court.

Reply

Stop with all the nonsense and bring back corporal punishment. If the stupid parents can't raise their kids right, the teachers should be able to reign in these hellions.

Reply

This is a ridiculous situation. Shows how parental and teacher controls have been removed by our government. There's nothing unloving about them trying to train up our children to be honorable, law-abiding citizens. Taking away restraint and violent (etc) media influence has changed the values in our nation. Everything has to be politically correct anymore. This mentality is ruining our nation. One nation under God... Yes, giving the government more power over controls that formerly were held by parents and other adults who helped with our upbringing is part of the problem. Big government, big problems. We'll have less liberties and more stupid laws like ticketing children. Also, there are too many parents who've gone along with these stupid laws or who have wanted to take the easy road and blame others or get rich quick (now they can sue teachers and schools to make money...). Well, the morals of our nation have definitely eroded. What we need are faithful lawmakers and lots of prayer. Let's pray that our children will find the positive influences in their lives that can help them develop into responsible human beings, in spite of the evil influences they may be exposed to on a daily basis. May God have mercy upon our nation and its future.

Reply

We the parents need to wake ourselves up and our fellow parents who would listen. I know not everyone believes in God, but I do and I hold the Commandments of God very dearly. When God told us to honor our parents, He expected us to listen to them, obey them.
However, we wanted to be different from our parents, who would occasionally spank on the bottom, or in hands, not out of cruelty but care. We are not mean if we teach our kids some discipline as necessary, as none of us want to see our naughty kids being tasered at some point in their lives, or shot at by the law for not instantly obeying. There is the microwave tasers and the new dazer lazer that I have read, is temporarily blinding. Article by Jim Kirwan on Rense dot com.
Children really hate their pride (bottom) getting spanked. Just the mention of a belt gets them moving. And hugging our kids when we are correcting them, letting them know we LOVE them but will NOT tolerate disrespect, unkind words, abusive words and actions.
I explain to my kids that we adults have rules to follow also, or we get into trouble.
Also, let's not spoil our kids with things they do not need. We ply them with presents for every occasion that they feel they must have things whether you can afford it or not. If you have not seen the marshmallow challenge on youtube you should watch it. Teaching our kids the value of working for things, the value of everything, to better appreciate and not demand. (Instant gratification) The virtue of patience.
If we keep the 10 Commandments of God and teach it to our kids, life would be so much better. We need to focus on what God wants for us. In returning to His Laws, we are better people, better citizens. We are not breaking man's laws. And most important, we will be in God's Grace, again. We failed. It is time to rethink, and redo our will to God's Way, His Will be done. And a beautiful thing I have read, the sermon of the mount by Jesus, peace be on him. It is really beautiful.
I hope I have not offended anyone, as I would like to see good things for all of humanity, and the rest of the creations that we have affected by our disobedience to God.
No one can do our job better. And I am for school punishment only as necessary. As some adults do have issues and can overly punish children they see as troublemakers.I would prefer to be contacted if my child must be paddled, and I would like to hear both sides. God is Just and so must we.

Reply