A mother is furious after a teacher called the police on her 6-year-old daughter with Down syndrome following a "mishandled" incident in the classroom. Photo / CBS
A mother is furious after a teacher called the police on her 6-year-old daughter with Down syndrome following a "mishandled" incident in the classroom.
In November, Pennsylvania girl Margot became frustrated during class time and pointed her finger at her teacher when she was asked to do something.
While pointing, she told the teacher "I shoot you".
While teachers concluded nobody was going to be harmed by Margot's words and hand gesture, the school still called police over the incident.
Margot's mother Maggie Gaines was furious, saying it was "ridiculous" and fears there will be ramifications for her daughter in the future.
"They get this phone call and I was fine with everything up until calling the police. And I said, 'You absolutely do not have to call the police. You know, this is ridiculous.'
"My daughter got frustrated and pointed her finger at her teacher and said, 'I shoot you,'" Gaines told CBS3.
"At that point, they went to the principal's office and it was quickly assessed that she didn't even really know what she was saying.
"They were asking her questions, and she was saying, 'Oh, I shoot mommy,' laughs, or, 'I shoot my brother.' The principal asked, 'Did you mean to hurt your teacher?' And she said no and it seemed like she didn't even know what that meant," Gaines stated.
"The whole thing is overkill for an instance like this. Children don't have the same understanding as adults.
"The police were called on a 6-year-old over something she didn't understand. We as adults should be there to help them – not as a threat."
Following the incident Gaines went public, posting a letter to the school board saying school officials are misinterpreting state law.
"She really didn't understand what she was saying, and having Down syndrome is one aspect, but I'm sure all 6-year-olds don't really know what that means.
"Now, there is a record at the police that says she made a threat to her teacher."
Sources told CBS3 Margot has no record, but her name is part of an official report.
State Senator Andrew Dinniman has since contacted the family, stating concerns with how the school handled the incident.
"As a state senator, an educator, and a parent, I am concerned when I hear that such important decisions appear to be guided blindly by written policy or legal interpretation without those in positions of authority using their judgment, experience, and commonsense to weigh in. Furthermore, I am alarmed that a school seems to be acting as an extension of the police department in promulgating data and records on children as young as kindergarteners," he wrote in a statement.
Margot's school has since responded, saying they followed safe practices.
"When an individual parent concern related to our school safety practices was brought to the attention of the District two weeks ago, we agreed to review those practices in the School Board Policy Committee meeting tonight. When developing the current practice, the District worked collaboratively with parents, law enforcement and private safety/mental health agencies and legal consultants to ensure our safety measures reflected considerable input from both our local community and experts in the field of school safety."
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