The San Antonio Independent School District Monday fired the officer caught on cellphone video body slamming a 12-year-old girl on the ground in an attempt to break up an argument.
But the debate continues over whether the thousands of police officers now stationed in middle and high schools through the country have the training or temperament to deal with adolescents and teens.
Critics say police officers are trained to deal with criminals, not recalcitrant 14-year-olds. Cellphone videos have captured many troubling scenes of police roughly handling students for seemingly minor offenses, including the Texas incident that prompted widespread condemnation.
In a statement, the San Antonio superintendent said Monday, “We understand that situations can sometimes escalate to the point of requiring a physical response; however, in this situation we believe that the extent of the response was absolutely unwarranted.”
To read more about whether police belong in schools, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog on MyAJC.com
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