This child meets all of the requirements for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. The criteria is that a person is dangerous to himself or others. This child is definitely dangerous to others and needs immediate help and treatment. The lack of conscience seems to be showing a trend toward sociopathy. He needs to be hospitalized. I can't emphasize that enough.

From the ACLU California web site:

What are the grounds for suspension and expulsion in California?
A school may suspend or expel students for the following reasons: being habitually disobedient; damaging or stealing school or private property; threatening or causing physical injury to others; possessing weapons or other dangerous objects; selling or bringing drugs or alcohol to school; doing something legally "obscene;" being involved in "habitual profanity and vulgarity;" disrupting school activities; intentionally defying the legitimate authority of school officials; or smoking in school. You may also be expelled for engaging in acts of sexual harassment, for hate violence, or for creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment.

But, under California law, school officials are supposed to try to correct bad behavior - rather than suspend or expel you - unless a student’s presence causes danger to people or property or threatens to disrupt school activities.


If I were a parent with a child in this school or a child who was injured by this student, I would be raising hell to get him OUT. Other children's safety is at risk.

Dee

That's dangerous behavior. School districts can refer kids to the county mental health facilities, right? They could in Milwaukee county. Refer this kid. It will only get worse. Documentation is key. Write up everything he does.

Dee is right!

The State of California can have someone put in a 72 hour hold for observation for threatening to hurt themselves or anyone else, or if they hurt themselves or anyone else. Your school psychologist and administrators should know about that.

He does sound like a sociopath to me.

Did anyone see the SVU episode last week? A child turned out to be the killer and at first all you saw was a beautiful kid with sad eyes and then you saw something much different.

I would send the parents an anoymous note saying he's on his way to kill people or himself. Definitely on his way to be a serial killer. I would call children services, SOMETHING until he gets a real diagnosis.

I would be TERRIFIED if my child was in his class and would DEMAND the kid be treated.

I'm mortified that there is nothing that can be done.

he definately needs some psychotherapy! i can't believe that the administration isn't doing anything about this!

be careful... if he does this sort of stuff to little kids and helpless animals, he won't stop there!

Re: Is this child a sociopath???
 

I would really like to know WHAT school district this is (at least the state) so I can be sure none of 1) my children, 2) my nieces and nephews (none of whom are living in Iowa) or 3) anyone I know and love are in the same class as this boy.

Your district needs to understand that THEY are responsible for his actions whiel on their property. If something happens to another student, the district could be liable for millions of dollars in damages because they knew of his behavior and didnt do anything about it.

I'd speak to the districts attorneys. They will take it seriously.

Yup sounds like a sociopath to me and if his parents don't get their isht together and get him help, he will be well on his way to being the next Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy

I PMed you. Things aren't always as they seem.

There is a meeting scheduled after the Thanksgiving holiday with his parents, teachers, school psychologists, & someone from the district. We're hoping that a solution will be found a.s.a.p. b/c we can no longer have him in our classroom or our school. The other children do not like to be around him and most are afraid to go near him. We're basically telling the parents to either voluntarily take him in for evaluation or we'll do it & they could find themselves in legal trouble. From what we've heard from other family members, the parents are deaf, dumb, & blind to his actions & no punishments have ever been given out. I think this could also be a case of neglect.

Agreed. This type of behavior is NOT normal, and this kid needs professional help ASAP. It's just too bad that his parents are too blind to see it.

I agree that sometimes things are not what they seem especially when it comes to students wil needs, but after choking a child unti he turned blue, why didn't the school expell him? If he is seriously harming other students then something needs to be done.

My mother would say that this child apparently are abuse--probably sexually. Most sexually abused children display behaviors that you have mentioned. And many of the wounds are not readily visible...

The fact that the parents are in denial about their child's behavior ought to tell you all that there probably is something going on in the home or somewhere in the child's life for the child to act out in that sort of behavior.

Most third graders are 8-9 years old??? So, how would an 8 year old want to see that "fish" die out of water or make another child "blue" in the face by strangulation--unless some older child (youth) or adult showed this child...

The point is that it may not necessarily be the parents--especially if they are hard working lower incomed... It may be one of the older sibilings that are physically or sexually hurting this child...

To solve this problem with minimal amount to drug intervention and to allow the parents to save face is to put this child into some heavy duty mentoring program with professional organizations that will teach this child appropriate behaviors... But with evaluation, the school psychologist and principal can make that determination along with the parents...

And unfortunately, it is out of your hands--you have done your job. And might I add, you have done it pretty well...

UPDATE
 

I completely forgot to update about the situation here. Shortly after the meeting, there was another incident involving this boy beating up another child over some snack foods during their recess. The victim had to have reconstructive surgery on his mouth to repair the damage my student inflicted. After the Christmas holidays, he never returned to the school or the district. We know he has not returned to school in the US b/c no one has called us to ask for his information as is the law. We subsequently learned that his mother finally figured out that we were trying to get him removed from the household and into some serious care when she hightailed it to Mexico. The relatives she has in the area simply say they are doing well in Mexico and have no plans to return.

It's sad to say he's no longer our problem but part of me feels relief that I no longer have to battle him or his belligerent family, part of me feels terror at the thought of what might become of him in the future if he doesn't receive proper care and treatment, and lastly, I feel sad that we could not help him.