School: Child who punched teacher was restrained once before

MIAMI – School district officials in Florida say a first-grader who had to be handcuffed and removed from his school for punching a teacher was restrained once before in the school year for aggressive behaviour.

Authorities say the latest episode happened Thursday, when a teacher at the Coral Way K-8 Center in Miami told the boy to stop playing with his food in the cafeteria.

A police report says the boy hit the teacher repeatedly in the back when they were in a hallway outside the cafeteria. The child continued punching and kicking the teacher until they both fell on the ground.

School district officials say the boy was hospitalized briefly at Miami Children’s Hospital under the Florida Mental Health Act, based on behavioural criteria that indicated he could pose a threat to himself or others.