Editorial: Collier County public schools

The exceptional education student, age 6, in a small class due to hyperactivity and attention deficit, sensed a classroom activity as being out of the routine. She misbehaved or acted out. That included kicking her teacher.

There are ways to deal with that and get across the point that kicking, especially a teacher, is not acceptable behavior, especially in a classroom.

Those ways fall short of arresting the child.

On a felony charge.

Yet, a felony charge is what happened to Takovia Allen at Lely Elementary School in East Naples. She even rode in a patrol car for a four-hour visit to juvenile jail.

Though it happened in April, the case came to light this week as her mother came forward before the case was due for a court date.

Thank goodness that court date brought word that the charge is to be dropped. Prosecutors, who are accustomed to dealing with real problems that belong in court, helped others see the light that high-ranking educators and powerful deputies could not see at the school in April. What was the criminal justice system to do with a 3-foot, 9-inch, 50-pound convict? Why not look ahead and solve the problem — with counseling and a better behavior plan for this child next year — rather than show her who’s the boss?

It’s too bad that the mother — Tamara Williams, an exceptional education teacher herself at Naples High School — waited so long to go public. This could have been taken care of by now. But thank goodness she did.

No wonder Collier County Public Schools was reluctant to talk about the case before Wednesday’s court date. Though officials cited student confidentiality, waived by the child’s mother, the case was embarrassing. It was discipline run amok.

Tamara Williams wants to know why it happened. We want to know if it will happen again.