Via, Jenny Erikson, who comments

There are enough crazy people out there wandering around that I’m generally very appreciative of school safety procedures and guest policies. Most schools these days require non-staff adults to sign in at the office, and many require some form of identification as well.

But occasionally things get taken too far — like when Niakea Williams was called to her son’s elementary classroom to comfort him. Michael is a special needs student with Asperger’s syndrome, and he was beginning to panic, so his teacher frantically called his mom to come soothe him. Williams ended up in handcuffs, and Walnut Groves Elementary School in St. Louis was put on lockdown.

Well, the linked story is horrific. If this happened to my children or grandchildren I would write a formal complaint to the teacher’s registration body. And formally pull my children. This is abuse

The incident took place at Walnut Groves Elementary School on Thursday when the mother came to help her son.

“I was lying in bed when I received a frantic phone call from the teacher, Michael was panicking,” said Niakea Williams.

Michael is Williams’ son and he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome.

After getting the call, Williams came up to the school where she was buzzed in by school officials.

“I saw a teacher and she said, ‘Ms. Williams what is wrong?’ I said, ‘something is wrong with Mikey’ and proceeded to go straight to my son,” said Williams.

She got to her son’s classroom and immediately started to console him. Then the school principal informed her she violated school policy by not signing in.

“I didn’t sign the book, but I had to check on my son. You can bring me the book, She said ‘oh no, I’ve already called the police.’ You called what,” said Williams.

Calverton Park Police responded to the call that came out as an “unauthorized entry to a school.” The school was also put on a 12-minute lockdown and a letter was sent home to parents.

“They escorted me away from my son, who already has emotional distress. Four officers told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, I was under arrest,” said Williams.

She was taken to the police station on trespassing charges but Williams said she is a known parent. In fact, she met with the principal on Wednesday about a separate issue.

She felt her arrest was unnecessary.

When asked if there needs to be discretion used, Williams said, “Yes, I feel like today I got arrested for being a concerned parent of my child.”

Well, I have two parents who teach. I’ve got two sons who are through or almost through the NZ education system, and my daughter has her kids working through one of the Canadian Provinces. In my (admittedly jaundiced) view, both systems are dumbed down from my day… I read Shakespeare and Eliot, Donne and Pope at school — they read the horrible mockingjay series as set texts. But this kind of crap would not happen. If it did, the principal would be sacked from the board the following day.

What happened to common sense? What happened to working with the parents? This is worse than petty fascism. This is incompetent arrogance. It is as if the scum has risen to the top and everyone else has to deal with the fallout.

The Police should have charged the principal with wasting their time. And one wonders how the poor kid felt when the police handcuffed his mother.