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Mom Slams School for Handcuffing 9-Year-old Asthmatic Son
By
John Del Signore
Published May 13, 2010
Modified May 13, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 13, 2010
Modified May 13, 2010
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When Brownsville mom Ivory Williams was summoned to her son's school last week, she found the 9-year-old boy handcuffed, crying, and having an asthma attack. The Department of Education says the student, Jaheim Williams, was restrained after a cafeteria fight because he posed a threat to others, and that he was handcuffed for just twenty minutes. But Jaheim's mother claims that when administrators finally acknowledged that Jaheim needed medical attention, officers from the 73rd precinct brought him to the hospital—with the cuffs still on.
And after two hours, they finally removed the cuffs from the 70-pound third grader, according to Williams. To be fair, the plucky young lad does seem to be a bit of handful; his mom acknowledges he's been suspended for fighting at school eight times. But insists he's never been arrested before! Well, there's a first time for everything. Mother and son will report to school for a hearing tomorrow, but Jaheim tells the Daily News, "I don't ever want to go back to that school. They made me feel like a bad person." And cue lawsuit... and settlement... aaaand scene.
Tagged
asthma
handcuff
handcuffed at school
kid
school safety
Student
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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