As a parent, I need to say something that has been weighing on my heart.The violence against children coming from some officers in schools deserve
As a parent, I need to say something that has been weighing on my heart.
The violence against children coming from some officers in schools deserves serious attention.
This is one of those moments where communities have an opportunity to speak up for children before harm becomes ordinary.
Children are still learning. They make poor choices sometimes. They mouth off. They test limits. They get emotional. They panic. They make impulsive decisions. Sometimes they shut down. Sometimes they become disrespectful. Childhood has always included mistakes.
All who made it through childhood to adulthood know this.
But the answer to childhood mistakes has never been violence from adults.
A child having a hard day should never become an excuse for humiliation, excessive force, fear, intimidation, or physical harm.
Every generation has stories of adults who stepped in and said:
“Enough. We can do better than this.”
This is one of those times.
Because here is the truth many of us understand as parents:
A child can be wrong and still deserve protection.
A child can need consequences and still deserve dignity.
A child can make a mistake and still deserve adults who remain regulated, wise, and safe.
We ask children every day to learn emotional regulation. Adults working around children should model it.
Most educators, staff, and school officers care deeply about children. Many entered these spaces to protect them. Still, protecting children means having the courage to address harm when it happens and asking whether systems are helping or hurting.
Here are ways people can speak up for children:
- Ask for de-escalation training.
Adults working with children should know trauma-informed responses, child development, disability awareness, and emotional regulation strategies.
- Ask schools to clearly define force policies.
Parents deserve transparency. Under what circumstances can physical force be used? What protections exist for children? What documentation happens afterward?
- Push for parent notification requirements.
Families should know immediately when force, restraint, or aggressive intervention happens involving their child.
- Advocate for mental health supports in schools.
Children struggling emotionally often need counselors, social workers, restorative practices, and trusted adults before situations escalate.
- Support accountability that protects children.
Good systems welcome review. Cameras, documentation, transparent investigations, and community oversight matter.
- Ask disability advocates to be involved.
Children with autism, ADHD, trauma histories, anxiety, sensory issues, or learning differences may react differently under stress. Fear can quickly escalate situations.
- Speak against humiliation.
Public shaming, unnecessary force, aggressive handling, and intimidation leave lasting emotional marks.
- Teach children their rights and safe responses.
Children benefit from learning how to seek help, identify safe adults, stay calm when possible, and tell trusted adults when something frightening happens.
- Refuse the false choice between discipline and safety.
Healthy schools can have both accountability and protection.
- Keep the conversation centered on children.
Adults may disagree on policy. Children should never become collateral damage in those disagreements.
As parents, caregivers, neighbors, educators, faith leaders, and community members, we can hold onto a simple truth:
Children deserve adults whose power feels safe.
Violence has never been proof of wisdom.
Guidance, protection, patience, accountability, and care have always been stronger teachers.
Every child deserves adults who remember that growing up has always been messy.
Children are still becoming.
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