MIAMI (WSVN/CNN) – The parents of a 7-year-old boy are distraught after they say their son was led away from his school in handcuffs after allegedly punching and fighting against a teacher.
The boy’s mother, Mercy Alvarez, says she was brought to tears at the sight of her 7-year-old son in handcuffs.
“My heart’s been broken,” Alvarez said.
School police say the incident started when the boy was taken out of the cafeteria at Miami's Coral Way K-8 Center Thursday morning for playing with his food.
According to the report, the 7-year-old then “attacked the teacher by repeatedly punching her on her back, in the hallway.”
The teacher tried to restrain the boy, who continued to fight her with his fists and legs, the report says.
The two fell to the ground, where the boy grabbed the teacher’s hair, according to the report, before he was finally restrained.
The child calmed down on his own and was taken to the principal’s office.
The teacher told police she wanted to press charges.
“Says he’s a danger to society. I said, ‘What? Seven years old? A danger to society?'” said the boy’s father, Rolando Fuentes.
The boy’s parents say they have a problem with the way authorities and school officials handled the situation.
They say they came to the school to talk to the principal and counselors and agreed their son would be suspended for 10 days. However, the officer told them she had to arrest the 7-year-old or take him in for psychiatric evaluation.
Speaking through a translator, Alvarez says her son doesn’t have a mental health issue or an issue with aggression. She says a psychologist said the boy was OK after he was accused of kicking a teacher in November.
While the 7-year-old’s parents wait to see what happens next, they have continued to demand answers because they believe the handcuffs crossed the line.
“We have to make justice,” Fuentes said.
In a statement, Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ian Moffett says similar incidents are rare.
“This action was warranted to prevent his erratic and violent behavior from bringing further harm to others or himself. The manner in which he was transported to the receiving facility was done in accordance with standard operating procedures,” read the statement in part.
School police say the incident is under review.
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