Black Special-Needs Student Handcuffed and Kept From His Mother After Mental Health Crisis

Questions are being asked after a Black special-needs student was placed in handcuffs in a Walpole, MA classroom following a mental health crisis.

WBUR reported the third grader had a mental health episode, and the staff called a school resource officer. The student was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress, and learning delays and had a tantrum. Since school staff described the boy as “big for his age,” the resource officer called for backup, and two more officers arrived.

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based firm, acquired police records showing the nine-year-old was forcibly handcuffed, restrained by his arms and legs, and taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. There, he was kept in an adult unit and restricted from his mother for hours until he released, after it was determined he wasn’t a danger to himself or others.

Erika Richmond, a lawyer with the group, said in a statement that “the January incident exemplifies the ‘adultification’ of Black children, a form of discrimination where Black children are treated as older than they are,” with this child also being described as “stronger than he looks.”

“Because of this bias, a situation that could easily have been de-escalated instead led to a young Black boy being handcuffed and held in adult custody,” Richmond said, according to WHDH Boston. “We see white children being given the benefit of the doubt and treated like children, whereas this Black child was treated like a criminal.”

A report from 2018 showed Massachusetts has a history of publicly restraining public school students — more than 9,000, according to data from 2016–2017. Restraint includes physical holds like bear hugs, straps, or belts, but not necessarily handcuffing by an officer. The law recommends school resource officers not use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues, including “non-violent disruptive behavior.”

Federal data shows students with disabilities are more likely to face restraint.

Bridget Gough, Walpole School superintendent, didn’t address the issue directly but said, “Walpole Schools are committed to the safety and education of all of our students, regardless of race or other protected characteristics.”