10-year-old child with special needs handcuffed by SC police

A 10-year-old girl with special needs was handcuffed by police during school on May 12 in Springdale, South Carolina.

Springdale Elementary is under fire for handcuffing Angel, who is accused of scratching students, biting a teacher and pulling a teacher's hair, WIS reports.

Angel's mother and local civil rights leaders say teachers should have handled the situation, not police officers.

"My daughter has a crisis plan in place and none of those were implemented that day," her mother said.

Other parents of children like Angel supported herand her mother, and say the district needs better training and communication.

“It’s the incompetence of the district because these things continue to happen,” Ken Edmonds, a parent, said.

The American Pediatric Association outlines proper restraints for adolescents and they do not recommend handcuffs, civil rights leaders said.

“When she was having an emotional breakdown [the principal] called police instead of following the plan they have in place,” Shenee Ryan with Black Lives Matter South Carolina said.

Officials with the Springdale Police Department said officers don't typically handcuff elementary students, but that in this situation it was necessary to keep students safe.

School officials have declined to speak about the incident.

Angel was pulled out of school for the remainder of the year.

Officials have yet to show Angel's mom any body camera footage or surveillance video of her daughter being handcuffed.