Police Brutality? (updated, again)

I think not in the case of the little 5-yr-old. She was in need of restraint, and had they not handcuffed her she could have easily hurt herself or others. She was unruly, violent, and uncontrollable. BTW, a 5-yr-old cannot be reasoned with, nor can he/she be "loved into self-discipline." They do understand benefits/punishment. Handcuffing the little girl was a punishment, and it did not involve pain or cruelty.

Should we blame the parents? Of course they have to accept some blame for not training their child to behave in public. Removing her from school until her parents can teach her to behave, though, is not really an option because all children are entitled to an education.

But what to do with the unruly ones (sigh).

I think a time-out box might be good. One that is soundproof, for the benefit of the ruly children in the classroom, but has the external sound (ie, teacher lessons, classroom discussion) pumped in so that the child--at least technically--has the opportunity for the education to which he/she is entitled.

If we don't return corporal punishment to the schools, we have to substitute it with something. Any suggestions?

Regarding many comments I've read about sending three cops to subdue a 5-yr-old when no police are called when teenagers are unruly: What are these people waiting for? Good grief--call the cops!

After around age 12, children are capable of reasoning. Their brains are developed enough to begin solving more complex problems and are therefore far more responsible for their actions. Mommy and daddy can only do so much, so society must take over. Put those kids in handcuffs, remove them from the schools, charge them with assault, and force them to serve their time. They are old enough to understand that actions have consequences, and they should start experiencing those consequences, period.

UPDATE:
Oops--I forgot about my bud in KY who's a teacher. I remember her telling me about the time a kid came after her with a knife; he ended up in the hospital, and nothing was done to her because it was considered self-defense.

I really doubt that most teachers would get off as easily as she did, though. She's only about 5'4", if that, and a typical southern belle/lady. However, she's one heck of a spitfire when she needs to be, thanks to her mother and oldest sister (who happens to be a judge).

UPDATE II:
Another "oops"--I forgot that several other blogs had posts on this, with comments that are, for the most part, well worth reading:

Absinthe&Cookies (who's on vacation right now) had a post from Caltechgirl called Taking it a LOT too far.
baldilocks wrote Scratch School-Teaching Off the List.
Kevin at Wizbang posted Police Arrest, Handcuff 5-Year Old Girl After Tantrum.(and he has bunches of trackbacks worth checking out)

A lot of people seem to want to blame Florida and Florida schools. This kinda cr*p goes on all over the US, not just Florida.