The family of a young boy, who was handcuffed at school for crying, is filing a lawsuit against the institution that was supposed to nurture his education. Kalyb Wiley Primm attended the George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas as a 7-year-old student in 2014 when the incident happened. School authorities allegedly mishandled the situation, where he was being bullied in class.
Metro reports that Kalyb, who has a hearing disability, was being teased by school bullies, which led to his crying and screaming. Unable to contain him, school authorities apparently handcuffed Kalyb and sent him to the principal's office.
Being handcuffed for crying became traumatic for the boy that he avoided school for two years. But with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the state of Missouri, the Primm family is going to court.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, Sept. 15, by the ACLU on behalf of the family, alleged that Kalyb's rights were violated. Named in the complaint is school officer, Brandon Craddock, and the principal, Anne Wallace. The boy related that Craddock grabbed and twisted his hands, then placed the handcuffs. "I just didn't really like how it felt," said Kalyb via Fox News.
"This child committed no crime, threatened no one, and posed no danger to anyone," said the ACLU in their statement. "Gratuitously handcuffing children is cowardly and violates the constitution."
Kansas City Star reports that the elementary school allows for the use of force on students if it meant putting an incident in order. Back in 2014, a spokesperson allegedly admitted that use of handcuffs is one of the allowable methods for school officers.
Thus, the lawsuit is also demanding that the public school district implements proper training among Kansas City school officers. "Instead of treating a routine situation involving a child acting like a child like it's a crime," said Tony Rothert, the lawyer for ACLU.
Kalyb is now in the fifth grade at a new public school, following two years of homeschooling. The Kansas City school board has declined to comment on the case since it is due for litigation.
