A high school student from Anderson, North Carolina was charged with assault and battery after throwing a paper airplane and hitting his teacher in the eye. If the student, David Michael Elliott, is convicted he could be sentenced to 30 days in jail. Elliott was arrested and booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center in South Carolina. On January 10th, Elliott was released on a $1,087.50 bond. Georgetown County Sheriff's Deputy, Paul Glover, charged Elliott with third-degree assault and battery. Elliott stated that he was trying to hit the teacher in the head with the airplane. He instead struck the teacher in the eye which appeared very red. The teacher, Edward McIver, had recently had ocular surgery. Apparently Elliott and McIver have had past conflicts and "something needs to be done", stated McIver to Glover.
Questions
- Do you think the student should have been charged? Why or why not?
- What would you do if you were the teacher in this situation?
- What could be an alternative punishment for the student?
My Opinion:
I don't think the student should have been charged because it's not like he meant to hit him in the eye with the airplane. I mean yes he was trying to hit him with it, but he wasn't trying to harm him. If I were the teacher I would talk to the principal about it and figure out a punishment for him instead of going to the police about it. I think they should just suspend him or something instead of him facing jail time for just throwing a paper airplane.
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Replies
Good summary and interesting story! Just be sure to comment more. The more people that comment means you need to comment more. You also only commented on one day instead if three.
Yes I do. He shouldn't have thrown the paper airplane in the first place. If I was the teacher I would've sent the kid to the principal's office right away. I think the 30 days in jail is over the top but maybe instead they would give him a suspension from school.
I do believe charging the student was necessary, primarily because Elliot states it wasn't an accident. In fact, he states he was trying to hit his teacher in the head. The student knew the outcomes of throwing that paper airplane, yet he still did it. I most likely would have charged him as well, seeing as this isn't the first time Elliot has caused problems in school.
I don't think that the student should have been charged, unless the teacher suffered serious damage to his eye. I mean, of course the student strikes me as a trouble-maker and the paper airplane would have been just dumb and disruptive even if he had hit the teacher in the head rather than the eye, but I think it's a little extreme to press charges. If I were the teacher, I would have just sent him to the principal's office and probably gone to the doctor to check and make sure the eye wasn't badly damaged, and if so, I might have pressed charges against the student. I think that a detention or suspension would be a perfectly reasonable alternate punishment for the student, although he strikes me as a trouble-maker who gets detentions all the time, and they just don't get through to him.
The student should not be charged, because it was an accident. If i were the teacher in this situation, i would have given the student detention, for distracting the class, but i would not call the cops. detention is an alternative punishment, but jail time? That's just ridiculous.
I don't think the student should have been charged. It obviously wasn't on purpose and the teacher clearly wasn't seriously injured. I would have been mad but wouldn't have taken it to the extent that it was. An alternative could have been detention or suspension, not jail time.
This student should not be charged. He is a teenager and teenagers do dumb stuff like make and throw paper airplanes. Nobody knows which way paper airplanes are going to go! If I was the teacher I would not put him on charges of assault and battery; that is childs play. I would be the mature one and make him stay after class and pick 10 things up off the ground. #Mr.Hastert
He shouldn't be charged because he did throw it towards the teacher but paper airplanes are difficult to aim. If i was him I would send the kid to the office and have them deal with him. The office can do what they want but the police shouldn't be involved. He could be suspended or have a couple detentions.
No I don't think the student should of been charged because now if one student does it then thell charge everyone for something stupid he didnt mean to he was just goofing off whats jail going to do to him If I were the teacher I would send him to the principal and about it we can figure out a punishment for him not the cops like why. I think they should just suspend him or something instead of him facing jail time for throwing a paper airplane. He shouldnt have to go to jail for something that everyone does hes probably a good kid just did something stupid we all do
No, the student should not have been charged with those charges because this could have very well have been an accident. I would have not made such a big deal about it and if it didn't really affect my eye then who cares just deal with it in a controlled manner. Maybe just ISS for two weeks and his mom and dad should give him further punishments at home.
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