Teachers in Collingswood, New Jersey, have a habit of calling the police for the tiniest of an incident, which is why it was not surprising that an urgent 911 call was made because a child said brownies. Yes, you have read correctly, brownies!
During a year-end party at the school, a third-grader with the last name Dos Santos, who was eating a brownie, made a comment about the chocolate goodness to another student. The student deemed the word brownies racist, went straight to the teacher, and all hell broke loose.
The following authorities/figures were all called to the school at some point: New Jersey’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Collingswood Police and Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Superintendent Scott Oswald, and Mayor James Maley.
Moreover, people are wondering where their hard-earned tax dollars are going? The police arrived at the school, spoke to the little boy, the mother claimed that he was traumatized by the “interrogation,” and skipped the last day of school.
The cops came to the conclusion that the poor kid was just talking about actual brownies. The mom, Stacy dos Santos, spoke to local media, and revealed:
“He said they were talking about brownies. Who exactly did he offend?”
The story went viral, and many parents were rightfully upset by the mishandling of the situation and shared theirs frustration with the school authorities. Days after the disaster took place, the mayor, the prosecutor’s office, and the police department all announced that they would make changes and handle future incidents differently. Mayor Maley said:
“A controversial policy that required Collingswood public schools to call police for nearly every incident of student misbehavior has been reversed.
The change comes after parents complained that their children, some as young as 7, were questioned by law enforcement for incidents such as roughhousing on the way to the cafeteria, allegedly making a racist comment at a third-grade class party, and a playground fight between two middle school boys. It’s resolved.Fixed, finished, done.”
Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey added:
“….the superintendent and I are working together to seek guidance from our respective professional associations to devise best practices for Collingswood and the county.”
Samantha Martinez, a mother of two, said what we are all thinking:
“I do not believe children should be policed in this way. All that’s going to do is make children afraid of police, and that’s the last thing we want to do.”
Many are wondering, when will the mayor, the school board, the principal be held accountable for mishandling this situation?
