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Police hospitalize 7-year-old under Baker Act (Against Parents Wishes)
St. Petersburg Times ^ | 15 Feb 09 | Jonathan Abel

Posted on 02/15/2009 10:30:02 PM PST by vivalaoink

LARGO — Police this week removed an unruly 7-year-old from his classroom and forced him to be hospitalized under the state's Baker Act — against the wishes of his outraged parents.

The boy spent the night alone at Morton Plant Hospital before he was seen by a child psychologist the next day and discharged.

"This is a total abuse of police power," said the boy's father, Richard Smith, 41. "My son has no mental health problems. He's never hurt himself. He's never hurt anyone else."

Smith and his wife, Barbara, said they want to consult a lawyer.

But Largo deputy police Chief John Carroll said his officers did the right thing.."

(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: bakeract; child; publicschool
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To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

I remember comedian Pat Cooper said his father once slapped him in the face. He said, “FOR WHAT” ? To which the father replied, “IN CASE!!”


41 posted on 02/16/2009 12:31:59 PM PST by DLfromthedesert
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To: PAR35
Perhaps it made enough of an impact on the boy that he won’t repeat the behavior at school.

That's a crappy justification, at it's very best!

Damn, it was hard to write that without using curse words and a personal attack.

42 posted on 02/16/2009 12:33:52 PM PST by Travis T. OJustice (Change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy.)
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To: vivalaoink

Must have denied Global Warming..........


43 posted on 02/16/2009 3:54:15 PM PST by festus (Politics makes for strange bedfellows)
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To: brytlea
You've got it covered.

Don't need to add a thing, except I got whacked in junior high.

Needed it too, ha!

44 posted on 02/16/2009 7:17:41 PM PST by happygrl (BORG: Barack 0bama Resistance Group: we will not be assimilated)
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To: SatinDoll

That is so sad. If you can’t trust your parents, who can you trust?? God bless you, I know you’re doing a tough job.


45 posted on 02/17/2009 10:14:42 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: Marie2

I agree.


46 posted on 02/17/2009 10:16:55 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: Niuhuru

The problem is that many parents use public schools as free baby sitting, and so if the school kicks the kid out the parents raise a stink. It’s often difficult for the schools to hold the line and not let them back in. In addition, if the child has a disability (which can include basic behavior issues) their hands may be tied, since they cannot kick the child out for behaving in a way caused by his *disability*. The mess is not all the fault of the schools.


47 posted on 02/17/2009 10:19:54 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: Lion Den Dan

LOL yeah, good luck with that.


48 posted on 02/17/2009 10:20:15 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: My hearts in London - Everett

I suspect that if she really did call them they either told her they had actual real problems to deal with, or they patted her on the head, thanked her, and sent her on her way.

I do remember once one of my sons took a candy bar at the grocery check out and opened it and started to eat it. He was about 3 or 4, and so he knew it was wrong, but I think he thought that if he had already opened it, I would have to give it to him. Of course, I took it from him and told the cashier that I wanted to pay for it.

She told me, Oh, no, you don’t have to pay for it, don’t worry about it. And I said, No, my son opened it and I’ll pay for it. I did, and then I ate it in front of him. He was stunned! I’m sure the people in the line thought I was an ogre, but you know what? To my knowledge that boy has not stolen anything since.

I will admit that I didn’t generally spank my children in public. Of course, they also generally behaved in public because they knew what would happen to them if they didn’t!


49 posted on 02/17/2009 10:23:53 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: radiohead

You had a very smart Mom! BTW I have a Freeper son as well. He was a handful growing up but he’s a very good man today! (that sounds weird, how can my little boy be a man now???!)

At any rate, if you’re their parent when they are growing up you can and probably will be friends when they are grown. I enjoy my sons a lot now, but they were hard work when they were kids!


50 posted on 02/17/2009 10:26:31 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: LuxMaker

I’m all for vouchers etc. Unfortunately at the moment they aren’t really an option, and with the Dems in charge they are even less likely to become one.


51 posted on 02/17/2009 10:27:30 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: happygrl

I actually got paddled once (in 6th grade). It didn’t hurt, but I was humiliated. And amazingly, that teacher is still one of my favorites. As you can imagine, I was just a touch willful as a child!


52 posted on 02/17/2009 10:29:10 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: brytlea

<I enjoy my sons a lot now

Absolutely. My son and I get along great. He’s one of the most decent, honest, politically committed people I know. Even if I weren’t his mother, I’d want to be his friend.


53 posted on 02/17/2009 11:50:59 AM PST by radiohead (Buy ammo, get your kids out of government schools, pray for the Republic.)
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To: radiohead

And THAT is as it should be! Early on I decided to attempt to raise mine to be people I would like to have as friends. It worked! Well, ok, one is a libertarian, but I forgive him because he’s otherwise delightful! ;)


54 posted on 02/17/2009 12:50:40 PM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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