<p>Yeah, the question was asked earlier in the thread about phones in the classroom and such I work in a very modern building and each classroom has a phone but most of them don’t call outside the building. If a call comes in to the office it can be transferred to the classroom for the teacher but the teacher can’t call out. The phones can call the office. To do that you have to first get to the phone which is wired to the wall like an old handset. Then dial the number and wait for it to be picked up. Then the office would send help and probably call a code over the intercom that alerts the Intervention team in the school. They would come, too if they were able to. My school is very large. To get from the office to the farthest classroom would take a fast person at least four minutes.</p>
<p>You could be "killed or “maimed” in that amount of time.</p>
<p>And you disagree. We get it. You’ve said over and over and over AND OVER that you think she was wrong, that you would never have behaved so inappropriately, that she had all manner of other options available to her, that she had plenty of time to contemplate said superior options, etc. I’m sure plenty of people would agree with you. Other people, just as reasoned and thoughtful and intelligent as you, disagree. </p>
<p>And so it goes…it’s starting to sound like a broken record.</p>
<p>It’s “never” okay? Are you serious? I find that statement to be absolutely astonishing, and independent of this particular situation, I could not disagree more. If I am ever attacked, assaulted, or put in physical danger (or if one of my children were put in danger), it would absolutely be okay to automatically punch someone in the face - sorry, but in a situation in which I am being attacked, it’s going to be them rather than me if I can help it. That is EXACTLY what is taught in my daughters’ self defense class. Someone comes up from behind or in front of you and grabs you or physically threatens you, and bam. A physical reaction ensues.</p>
<p>I think that knowing that you can handle the situation if it gets violent gives you more options in defusing the situation without violence. Perhaps we’re at the point where there should be cameras in the classroom or teachers should have a wireless panic button that they carry on their person.</p>
<p>A few weekends ago, there were a bunch of flash mob/gang incidents along the east coast with fairly large numbers of unruly teens. This was from Boston to Miami. Teen unemployment looks to be high this summer and cities have budget problems in hiring teens and providing recreational outlets for them. It could be a messy summer.</p>
<p>You are free to automatically punch anyone you want at any time you want, but unfortunately the decision about whether it is automatically okay for you to do so without being prosecuted is not up to you.</p>
<p>I have absolutely no doubt that if someone comes up from behind me, grabs me, and attempts to assault me, that I will face absolutely no prosecution for defending myself.</p>
<p>Apparently she determined during the incident that it was justifiable self-defense. The prosecutor agreed after looking at the big picture. We don’t get to quite see the big picture like the prosecutor did, but I think we see enough to where most agree…</p>
<p>We’re talking about punching someone in the face. I’m a 5’6" soccer Mom type, being grabbed from behind and assaulted. I live in a state where it’s is accepted that punching someone in the face while being attacked is actually common sense. :)</p>
<p>The school handled this properly, in my opinion. The police were called and it was left up to the authorities to decide whether this was a criminal case or not. The prosecutor, after looking at all of the information, decided it was not. I support the decision. However, in terms of what should be done in such situations, I would not advocate doing what she did.</p>
<p>That’s a superset of the current situation and is really irrelevant to the situation at hand. Sure, the criminal justice system isn’t perfect and has its problems but that’s why sunshine is the best policy.</p>
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<p>There was a case in Texas where a Japanese student walked up to a door to ask for help. The homeowner felt threatened and shot and killed the student. The homeowner was perfectly within his rights and nothing happened despite creating an international incident. So, no, having witnesses isn’t always necessary.</p>
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<p>Anyone disagree that this was justifiable self-defense?</p>
<p>@Nrds -I can see that being the case in most situations. But what if the attacker is someone you know, and they deny attacking you, and you have just broken their nose? You could end up with some problems you don’t want to have, which might have been avoided if you’d run away instead.</p>
<p>Honestly, the more you post Bay, the more I’m convinced you have never been in a physical altercation in your entire life.</p>
<p>Also, putting such an emphasis on her “punch” kind of makes me laugh. We’re not talking about Mike Tyson here. We’re talking about a 64 year old woman who probably punches like a 12 year old boy.</p>
<p>There was zero possibility of her hurting him badly.</p>
<p>Bay, you are not convincing me that defending myself in the event that** I’m attacked** is going to be the wrong decision in terms of finding myself in trouble with authorities.</p>
<p>Apparently, though, you feel an extreme desire to have the last word…have at it. But I find your statement that it is “always wrong” to automatically defend oneself in the event of an attack to be so ludicrous that you can write 50 posts to your heart’s content, and I will still shake my head…</p>
<p>But go ahead and knock yourself out if it makes you feel better. :)</p>
<p>Nrsds,
You mischaracterize my position. I never said it was “always wrong” to punch someone in the nose. What I said is that it is never automatically the right thing to do. Rather, it is a very risky thing to do for several reasons, so it should not be an automatic course of action. I’d also like to remind you that I have never not supported this teacher’s position in this thread. I just think people who think that punching this kid was the “right” thing to do should reconsider that.</p>
<p>I have never been punched in the face or punched anyone else in the face. But I was kidnapped at knifepoint (to my neck) in a car when I was 17 years old.</p>
<p>You are too optimistic. There is a legal theory (the “eggshell skull” theory if I recall correctly) that holds you responsible for any injury you wrongly inflict on another, whether you intended it to be severe or not. If it had been determined that the teacher’s reaction was excessive, and this student had a brain or skull condition which was exacerbated by the 64-year-old punch rendering him brain damaged, the teacher would be in a world of trouble. This is another reason it is risky to <em>assume</em> that a punch in the face is okay in any given situation.</p>