From the article, she was charged with destruction of public property and assault (on the principal). I agree completely that we have criminalized behavior by children (including teenagers) that a couple of generations ago would have been handled privately by teachers, parents or neighbors. The problem is that teachers are forbidden to use physical means to enforce discipline, many parents are AWOL, and neighbors don't get involved for fear of criminal charges or civil lawsuits. What would you have done if faced with this situation?
“The school ought to be able to handle discipline without becoming physical. I wouldn’t have a problem with physical discipline myself but we all know that’s been taken out of the hands of school administrators.”
According to my father-in-law, who designs schools for most of the metro Atlanta school boards, the padded “quiet rooms” where unruly children were once placed have been phased out. So, the teachers can't discipline them and the administrators can't separate them from the other students until they calm down. Again, what would you have done?
This tantrum happened in the principal’s office, not in a class room.