California mom upset police were called first to handle a 5-year-old who messed up his classroom
A California mom is upset and wants to know why a school called the police on her 5-year-old son after he had a temper tantrum she says could have been solved if they had called her first, ABC7 reports.
Jenny Kimbell whose son is a kindergartener at Foothill Knolls Elementary School said that her son Kyler acted out in class and destroyed a classroom. While she doesn’t condone his behavior, she questions how the incident was handled.
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She said her son wanted to be a police officer until he was confronted by cops after the school called 911 on the elementary school student.
“He is a young African-American male and the police being called on him, that hurt me as a mother,” Kimbell, said.
She explained that her son was having difficulties and then started getting in trouble in school.
“He’s gotten frustrated. He had struck another kid,” Kimbell said.
Last Tuesday, things took a turn for the worst when Kyler got upset and went on a rampage.
“It escalated to where Kyler got upset, started flipping desks, throwing chairs,” she said.
“Not being able to handle a 5-year-old? I find that very, very difficult,” she said.
Kimbell recorded cellphone video of the aftermath.
“He’d destroyed the classroom. I was told that this went on for 45 minutes,” she said.
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Kimbell said the school failed to use her as the first point of contact and she’s upset the school instead called the police on Kyler.
“Now, when he sees the police he says oh there’s the police, you see that police right there? Am I going to be arrested? Now he’s telling people, he said, ‘The police came to my school, but I didn’t go to jail,'” Kimbell said.
The school district issued a statement on the matter.
“In this case, the resource officer went to the school’s office after receiving a call of a potential incident. At no time did he speak with the student. He was there to provide support, if necessary,” the statement said.
Kyler however said the officer did say something positive to him, despite the destruction.
“When we was about to leave he said, ‘Make sure to be good,'” Kyler said. He agreed that he would be a good boy.
