# Louisiana Teacher Handcuffed, Jailed For Speaking Out At School Board Meeting **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348 "2018-01-10T18:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/61 "2018-01-13T19:31:16Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > [Johnny Carson voice]I did not know that![/Johnny Carson voice] Extra points. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/62 "2018-01-14T01:26:05Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > LAE is an affiliate of the American Association of Educators, which is not a union. It provides the same protections of a union without getting involved in politics like the NEA and AFT do. If you’re a labor organization and you’re NOT getting into politics, you’re pretty much useless and not doing your job. Politics is where labor/management relations become law. Ignoring politics like it’s some kind of disease is a recipe for futility. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/63 "2018-01-14T02:23:58Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > So a breach of _Robert’s Rules of Order_ is an arrestable offence in the United States? > > [Johnny Carson voice]I did not know that![/Johnny Carson voice] She refused to comply with a police officer’s official request … yes, that is an arrestable offense in the United States … A breach of the Rules of Order in a United States courtroom can get 30 days jail for contempt … ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/64 "2018-01-14T03:11:42Z")
At 7min30sec of the 12 minute YouTube video, the officer says “Take your things and go”. She seems to be asking the chair if that’s authorized, and appears to get confirmation that it is. At 7min46sec, she’s picking up her bag and going out. Where did she refuse to obey an officer’s request? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/65 "2018-01-14T13:34:03Z")
7’20" … you can get arrested for that … ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/66 "2018-01-14T15:09:58Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > She refused to comply with a police officer’s official request … yes, that is an arrestable offense in the United States … > > A breach of the Rules of Order in a United States courtroom can get 30 days jail for contempt … So were are down to the policeman shoving her to the floor? Good thing she didn’t do something serious, like go five miles over the limit. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/67 "2018-01-14T15:42:59Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > 7’20" … you can get arrested for that … Hell, its america, she is lucky she didn’t get shot because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/68 "2018-01-14T19:44:50Z")
> [@](#): > > School Board President Anthony Fontana told KLFY-TV, “She was interrupting the board meeting. She wouldn’t allow that to happen in a classroom, and now she’s going to pull that stunt. A board member was getting ready to speak when she cut into him. That’s when the officer acted. I think he acted properly.” Is it the school district’s policy to wrestle students to the ground for politely asking questions and then leaving? I’d ask that at the next meeting. At best, board rules are a procedural guideline for meetings so that they remain focused and are carried out in a peaceful democratic manner. This is important because their “board rules” do not have the force of law. Only the civility that is expressed in the rules have that force and it’s not because it’s a board rule it’s because we have laws regarding civility. If the board doesn’t want to answer questions they cannot have people arrested. If they don’t want to participate in their own public meeting then they can gavel the meeting adjourned and leave. Their purpose as a school board is to represent the public’s interest and that includes discussions with the public if they choose an open forum. They have a duty to answer for their actions including (but not limited to) the expenditure of public funds. There’s really no point in a meeting that involves public opinion without discussion. If a member of the public refuses to yield speaking time to the board or other people then they are disrupting the meeting. This is not what happened. She went so far as to voluntarily leave when asked even though that request (IMO) did not have any legal basis. Her crime was asking a question regarding the actions of a public servant. On top of that there were a room full of people asking questions who were not asked to leave or arrested for voluntarily leaving. If I were the school board I’d be apologizing for the actions of the police officer and disavowing his actions. But instead they doubled down on stupid and now that $40,000 yearly pay raise is going to cost them a lot more. Their next board meeting is not going to be a pleasant one if they don’t get ahead of this. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/69 "2018-01-14T23:06:13Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Their next board meeting is not going to be a pleasant one if they don’t get ahead of this. That is what you would expect, but he has 40 grand more a year and probably doesn’t give a damn about anything else. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/70 "2018-01-14T23:10:34Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That is what you would expect, but he has 40 grand more a year and probably doesn’t give a damn about anything else. Still lives in Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/71 "2018-01-15T01:31:21Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > 7’20" … you can get arrested for that … Sure, if you keep doing it. But she didn’t. She looked at the chair, the chair evidently made some indication that the officer was right, she had to leave, and she picked up her stuff and left. It wasn’t until they were out of the meeting room that the officer handcuffed her on the ground. That wasn’t necessary to ensure she obeyed the order to leave the room. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/72 "2018-01-15T01:51:27Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > She refused to comply with a police officer’s official request … yes, that is an arrestable offense in the United States … > > A breach of the Rules of Order in a United States courtroom can get 30 days jail for contempt … Nice to know. So if a police officer tells you to rape someone, you have to do it, right? Stop coming up with flimsy excuses to defend evil people. Learn the difference between right and wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/73 "2018-01-15T04:04:43Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > She refused to comply with a police officer’s official request … yes, that is an arrestable offense in the United States … Hmmm. Beside the fact that she was complying is the fact that the individual doing the request was not quite police acting in official police capacity but a city marshal _not_ acting in capacity as a city marshal but while hired by the school board as a “a resource officer to provide security.” Not so sure in that capacity a marshal counts as police making an official police request. Second is that I do not believe it is a crime to refuse any police officers request. Remember the outcome of the nurse who was arrested for [refusing to follow a police officer’s request](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/utah-nurse-arrest-refuse-police-detective-draw-blood-unconcious-patient-payout-salt-lake-city-alex-a8030776.html) to draw blood? The detective who did it lost his job and the nurse arrested got paid half a million bucks to stave off a lawsuit. If I am stopped for a traffic violation I do not need to submit to a warrantless search of my vehicle and open my trunk, as another example. If a police officer asks for me to give him $100 I do not need to comply. I need to comply with request that are within his or her legal authority to request, not just any damn shit they demand of me. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348/74 "2018-01-15T04:08:33Z")
> [@Wallet](#): > > Many years ago the school superintendent came to our school to discuss renewing a particular reading program for our district. It was an expensive, non-viable program, and things that had been promised never came to pass (adequate supplies, extra staff to implement the program, etc.) It’s an open secret that the big publishing companies pay off districts to buy new programs. > > I stood up to express my concerns and to ask who was really benefiting from this deal, because it wasn’t the children. The super’s “handler” gasped his indignation, said how dare you accuse the superintendent of taking bribes! I had said no such thing, but by then they had both rushed out of the room. There were repercussions, but my teacher’s union had my back. Thank goodness for their protection! > By the next school term the super was out on his behind, accused of (you guessed it) taking kickbacks. > > TL/DR: Hats off to the brave teacher for speaking truth to power, and support your unions! THIS. As much as I as a conservative despise unions I can agree that teachers need them because teachers deal with principals who are often very incompetent or who are on power trips and teachers need that protection. When I was teaching it was this stupid program called OBE she was pushing which the teachers all hated but boy, you better be on board 100%. When that super left his crony fired suddenly the program was dropped. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-teacher-handcuffed-jailed-for-speaking-out-at-school-board-meeting/806348.md?page=3)