Handcuffed in School: Legal and Practice Considerations

Objectives: Incidences such as students committing shootings, fighting with teachers and other students, perpetrating sexual assault, and bringing weapons to schools are concerning for administrators, teachers, and the public. To respond to such situations school officials have increasingly been using exclusionary and aversive measures as well as expanding police presence in schools. The purpose of this paper is to examine case law involving law enforcement in schools, with a specific emphasis on arresting and/or handcuffing students. Methods: We examined 33 court cases in which students were handcuffed in school. Results: Although handcuffing was used in each of these cases, only nine students were arrested and charged. Conclusions: Students are being handcuffed for non-criminal offenses.