7-year-old boy handcuffed in principal's office for crying

The boy sat handcuffed in the office for 15 minutes until he was picked up.

Back in 2014, Kaylb Wiley Primm started crying in class because he was being bullied by another student because of a hearing disability that he had. His teacher then called Brandon Craddock, the school resource officer, to escort Kaylb to the principal’s office.

However, Kaylb was unable to stop crying, despite Craddock’s orders for him to calm down. Unable to do anything else, Craddock handcuffed the then 7-year-old Kaylb to the principal’s office while waiting for a parent to pick him up. The boy sat handcuffed in the office for 15 minutes until he was picked up.

Two years after the incident, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is now filing a lawsuit against the school on behalf of the Primms. The terrible ordeal had long term effects on the young child, as his mother, Tomesha Primm, was forced to take him out of school since she feared for his safety. She adds that Kaylb started having nightmares and also wet the bed after the unfortunate incident.

The lawsuit is for the use of excessive force towards a minor which violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Tony Rothert from the ACLU of Missouri said: ‘This child committed no crime, threatened no one, and posed no danger to anyone.” They add that the officer’s actions also violated state policy, which states that restraints can only be used on elementary and secondary students during extreme circumstances or emergencies.

Tomesha Primm adds: “No schools should be handcuffing little kids. I want it to stop”, “Someone needs to step up and speak up. Unfortunately, I’m not a media guru. This is, to a certain point, embarrassing. But if this is what it takes to help people recognize it’s not OK,” she added, she’d be willing to do it.

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READ: Elementary school suspends 9-year-old for wearing tight-fitting clothes

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Jan Alwyn Batara

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