Unfortunately, it’s no secret that black students are disciplined much harsher than their white counterparts. Even knowing that the case of 6-year-old Nadia King is still unusually disturbing.
CBS News reports that the body camera footage of a Duval County sheriff shows that Nadia was completely calm upon her removal from Love Grove Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL. Nadia was removed from school due to the Baker Act, a law that permits authorities to submit a person to psychiatric evaluation if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Nadia has ADHD and suffers from a mood disorder. According to the Sheriff’s report, a social worker at the school said that Nadia was “destroying school property” and “attacking staff.”
The footage shows Nadia asking the officer if she was going to jail and if they had any snacks. She asks the officer if they’re going on a field trip to which the officer responds “Well I call it a field trip, anything away from school is a field trip, right?” Both of the officers can be heard remarking on how pleasant she seemed.
Martina Falk, Nadia’s mother, cried upon seeing the video. She is currently looking for a new school for Nadia and filing a lawsuit against Love Grove Elementary. Reganel Reeves, Falk’s attorney has said: “If you can’t deal with a 50-pound child, 6-year-old, then you shouldn’t be in education.”
That is a point I completely agree with. There is no reason at all a 6-year-old should be sent to a mental institution for having a temper tantrum. If she was really being disruptive just call her parents and have them take her home. It’s that simple. I’m really trying to figure out how a 6-year-old girl could attack grown-ass adults.
I guess it’s time to add “just being a 6-year-old” to the list of things the police will be called for.