Officer uses Taser on mentally disabled student

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Officer uses Taser on mentally disabled studentTeen struck principal, two studentsBy KaatmannFriday, November 3, 2006 2:56 PM CSTA 14-year-old mentally disabled student at St. High School was Tasered after a sudden outburst on Tuesday.School Resource Officer Steve Eisenbach used a Taser gun on the 6 foot 1, 220-pound boy twice after he could not calm him down.The officer talked to the special education student for about five minutes, but then the student kicked and hit the principal and hit two students with a broomstick, said Capt. Gerry Pollard of the St. Police Department. "The boy was throwing desks, chairs and tables," Pollard saidInterim Superintendent Kim Harding said the boy kicked Principal Mark Eggers five times."They spent close to five minutes trying to calm him down, and then he became agitated, and the SRO stepped in," Harding said.Harding said the special education classrooms consist of two teachers, two paraprofessionals and 17 children among both rooms. The two classrooms intermingle.Students and teachers were escorted into the hallway after the school resource officer arrived, Pollard said.After the boy was shot twice with the Taser gun in the mid- to lower back, the school resource officer drive stunned him because he still was combative, Pollard said. The drive stun mode is when the prongs of the Taser are not used, only contacting the electrical points on the nose of the Taser to the person's body.Pollard said a drive stun feels like a punch in the arm.TASER International, the company that produces the weapons, advises to only use this method when necessary.The boy was taken to SSM St. ph Health Center in St. as a procedural measure, but he had no injuries, police said.The two other students only suffered minor injuries and were treated by the school nurse, Pollard said.The boy has a history of problems, police officials said, including two times in the past week when he ran outside of the school without permission."He ran across Kingshighway, entered a business and destroyed some property and harassed the owners," Pollard said.Each special education student has an Individualized Education Plan, so teachers and administrators can assess the specific needs of each student, hopefully preventing anything that would trigger an outburst.According to police, there have been three incidents of using Taser guns in St. high schools in the past three years since the police department has acquired them. School resource officers at both high schools are armed with Taser guns. Resource officers at middle schools do not have them.Eggers sent home a letter for parents of the special education students on Tuesday afternoon informing them of the incident.Using Taser guns has been controversial in recent months. The most recent fatality from using a Taser gun happened on Saturday night when D. Holyfield, a former student at Jersey Community High School, was Tasered by Jerseyville police and died a day later. The death of the 17-year-old sparked comments from various civic organization and officials across the state.Amnesty International has released statements saying police departments should refrain from using Tasers until their full effects are examined.Pollard said Tasers are a safer alternative than using a pepper mace or a knight club."Pepper mace would have an effect on the whole classroom and a club could injury the person," he said.Harding said the use of Tasers in the St. School District is only reserved for extreme measures."Our role is to always make sure we can do everything," Harding said. "Our SROs get to know kids and are there to provide immediate assistance if needed. We use all the options to ensure the safety of all of our kids."