Students are disrespectful and teachers have no backbones. Instead of ever solving a problem, teachers try to "reform" students, or simply ignore them all together and send them to an office for evaluation and reconciliation. It's all a big waste of time, money, and effort. Should the girl have been texting? no. should the teacher have called the police? no. If corporal punishment were still allowed, much of these problems wouldn't exist.

That'll learn her.

*Lying* to the police over a cell phone after flagrant disregard for her teacher's instructions? Yeah, I'd say she had it coming. I'm the parent of two kids, and -- aside from the fact that I'd be monitoring my boys' cell usage in the first place -- I'd want them to get a little legal smack in the head for such atrocious behavior. Then I'd want someone to smack me for letting that situation develop in the first place.

You'd think the dad would confiscate the phone at that point, but, considering where it's been, maybe he just told the police to keep it. I would. Then again, maybe that'll be a new marketing ploy for teens... "The PerpPhone -- big on features but small enough to hide in your butt." Sure hope the camera function is disabled. Eww.

There's probably a new teen butt pic on MySpace somewhere.

I think the article missed the point (or dramatized it) - the girl didn't commit a criminal act for texting, but for disrepect, discourtesy, defiance, and disruption (all apply to both the teacher and the police).

I do think that the teacher overreacted by calling police as its not a police matter. It should have been handled by the school. However, if that school is like most others I've seen, the school discipline process is completely ineffectual and the administration does not support the teachers - therefore, the teacher acted in the only possible way available to them to solve the problem.

I do think that the charges against the girl are entirely appropriate. Maybe a $298 fine, misdemeanor charge, and several day suspension will garner a little respect in the future - or at least some consideration!

She didn't get arrested for texting. She was arrested for lying to the police.

Personally, I think it is overboard to arrest a kid in class for being insubordinate. The problem though is that the teacher has no other option but to bring in the police, because the rest of the school staff are too progressive to actually punish the girl for the insubordination. If the teacher had done what was needed to bring the girl into line she would be charged with a crime or at the very least been disciplined herself by the very staff members that would not discipline the girl. Thus, the progressive position of of the staff has actually been the cause of this girl's excessive punishment, and likely was the cause of her insubordination.

I agree with 08nwsula. Who's going to text and then talk back to the teacher about it if swats are a possibility?

Should texting be considered criminal? no.
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Should complete refusal to cooperate with teachers? maybe
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Should refusing to cooperate with police officers? probably
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I've worked as a teacher before, and you don't have many enforcement tools at your disposal these days. Most kids are ok, but you have the few who will always defy authority. You can't spank them or physically force them to do anything, and I can understand the legal issues behind all that. However, what is a teacher left with to enforce the rules of the classroom? Some teachers can't even count on school administrators to support them in their disciplinary efforts anymore. So, it appears, calling the police/school resource officers is becoming a more popular option.
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What tools can a teacher use? Let's look at the popular options:
Detention - maybe effective, but a 14-year-old girl will have to rely on parents to pick them up. Some parents are supportive, others not.
Docking grades - Please, this girl wouldn't cooperate with teachers or police. You think she cares about her grades? After all, daddy will just call, yell, fix everything, and then buy her a new car for when she turns 16.
Extra work - Again, she doesn't care about school. You can't make her do it.
Send to principal's office - Depends on how good/supportive the administration is. Some might suspend her or contact her parents. Bad ones will just send her right back to class.
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Maybe this will finally send a message to kids that they should do what their teacher tells them or face serious consequences. These are tough issues that have arisen due to our society's development both legally and technologically. What's the answer? Meh, idk lol bbl jk;faoiejk

A minor was frisked by an adult female officer to find a phone? I'd sue.

The title of this article is total bullshit. 'buttocks area' does not mean 'in butt'.

Thanks so much for the mental image of a 14 year-old shoving a phone up their ass. That is just indecent.

"If corporal punishment were still allowed, much of these problems wouldn't exist."

Could not agree more. Since it does not those kids know it and as a result here come the police, and they in turn overstep, go to far, overreach, or whatever you want to call it. If I had done that in school, back in the 80's and in a small town at the time, the teacher would have scooped me up and to the principals office for detention, suspension, or even corporal punishment. Yet you see more and more of this and seems like everyone is sitting there going "What can or should we do." Sad really. What happens if she continues with this attitude? Next time she might get a situation that will be 100 times worse and so will the consequences.

"There's probably a new teen butt pic on MySpace somewhere."

Great now the police can try and charge her with "sexting".

I think the fine was too much. They should have just given her a suspension and/or some other form of reprimand in connection with school activities/system/etc.

Next, they'll call the army for tapping your fingers on the desk...

Wow, that's not a very small phone so she must either has a big a-hole or have experience sticking stuff back there.

I have to LOL at the South Park level of my reply.

"If corporal punishment were still allowed, much of these problems wouldn't exist."

Bingo.

But it goes beyond just teachers having the ability for corporal punishment, it eventually goes back to the home. This little brat was never raised properly. Her parents are probably these new age types that "want to be friends" with their kids. The little girl was and her daddy were being friends.

I can tell you something, my parents are not my friends. They are my parents. I love my parents, and like my parents, but they are not my "friends". My parents deserve a level of respect above what you give to friends. You can tell your friends to F*** off, I wouldn't dare tell my parents anything like that.

Teachers cannot touch kids anymore because of idiot parents! Like some of those who have already commented on this article. Sue? This country is nothing but Sue happy. poor me! I am a bum and need money. SUE.. What a moron. Kids are nothing but mouthy brats anymore and I give all teacher's props for dealing with todays spoiled youths.

@seboj The whole reason the police had to be called in the first place is because teachers and schools can't do anything because of all the sue happy idiots out there. If our society would stop suing for the smallest idiotic reasons, maybe we could actually progress.

I don't think you have to give police your phone number, I know its not the same case but just think if everytime they pulled over a pretty woman they demanded her phone number wouldn't be good you think.

Everyone in this story went farther than what they should have. You shouldn't text in class, duh, put the thing away. You shouldn't call the police over a thing so miniscule as a phone, come on now, I think the teacher was having an authoritative issue and didn't have the guts to just kick her out of class. Seriously, calling the police over a cell phone in a class? Thats like killing a fly with a nuke people. Don't they have a school security official? You don't need to get the feds involved with something like this. So now the girl is going to have a criminal record because she was using a cell phone in a classroom.

Seriously though, my primary school teacher in Taiwan used to whip un-cooperative student everyday with a wooden stick /boom. Attending and attention rate are generally high and parents usually support the teachers. IN fact, the hallmark of bad schools is indifferent teachers; school admin that doesn’t support corporal punishment and parents that think their kids are special and should be pampered.

Detention and suspension does nothing as the kid doesn’t want to be in school anyway. The more they acted out, the more time they can spend at home /hanging out until they finally dropped out.

How about simply BAN or BLOCK ($900 device) cell phone usage at school like CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY or ENGLAND. There is a HUGE problem when the school counselors are NOT called in, but the police are (?). Was she disrespectful, YES. Was ANY CRIME COMMITTED BERFORE the police were called? NO! NO PROPERTY WAS STOLEN, NO THREAT WAS MADE, AND NO PERSON WAS STRUCK OR INJURED. Now she will be persecuted daily by her peers, have a police record, and be fearful of raising her hand in class. Congratulations on making ANOTHER MAL-ADJUSTED CHILD(!) who will: look the other way when she sees a crime committed, over-react and believe it's normal behavior(like you), never trust but cower to authority instead of fighting for her own beliefs and needs. Way to teach. Thanks ALOT for WASTING MY MONEY and another student’s future!

That's... disturbing that a 14 year old girl would consider shoving a phone "in the buttocks area". I agree with the people who think texting is criminal, and to even call the police for such a minor offense. Teens will always be teens with their rebelling and smart-alec nature. They should just disallow cellphones altogether in the school and if one is seen could be siezed by a faculty member.

[citation][nom]Judguh[/nom] I agree with the people who think texting is criminal[citation]

I meant isn't criminal... whoops...

this girl is addicted to her phone so much that she would rather keep in her butt then give it to police. apparently the parents are the issue here and need to be responsible for there kids actions. the teacher had a last resort and that was to call the policy a little out of line but there was apparently no other corse of action.

The teacher's hands are tied. Teachers can do nothing to students anymore with all the protection children are given. They have no option other than "turning to a higher authority," be it the principal, dean or police. I mean, what else is this teacher supposed to do? He can yell all he wants but by the sound of it that would likely get him nowhere. If he attempts to use force then he has a lawsuit on his hands.

It's unfortunate that our society is brought us to this. Bring back capital punishment. You better believe kids will act appropriate if the consequence is a stick across the back of the hand.

I feel bad for the good teachers.

If I was the teacher the phone would have been buried in her @$$ for texting during my class too... except in my case the cops would be coming for me, not her!

it is a not the teacher's place to tell a student to put a phone away. It is their education not the teachers

Look no laws were really broken. Texting is not a crime, as far as I know, anywhere. She was wrong for doing it and then to give the teacher lip about it, boy that would not fly where I came from. As for lying to the police, I would have to, especially if they asked for my phone number. None of their business regardless if they are police and they should not have been called in the first place. Now she could end up with a criminal record because of her attitude, the school teacher and administration being complete morons and too scared of their own shadow, and the police going to far imo. Welcome to the new society. Progressive? You call this progressive? All fingers end up pointing to everyone involved in this and they should.

So, it`s now the police job to ensure that students act the right way in class, like it´s not enough what they already do, that`s really the teacher and parents job, especially the parents.

Funniest headline ever. I agree with the teacher, phones do not belong in the classroom.