In January 2020, a 10-year-old African-American girl with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) was arrested at Honowai Elementary School after drawing a threatening picture. As researchers and practitioners in education, mental health and criminology, we have grave concerns over the mishandling of the situation and call for schools and law enforcement to do better.

Both law enforcement and educators demonstrated a lack of awareness of child psychology. Drawing is a common therapeutic tool and coping strategy for children who struggle with being bullied. Drawings allow children to express their feelings as a way of regulating their emotions. Initial reports indicate the Honolulu Police Department decided to finally arrest “N.B.” after she joked that she had never seen a prison before. This socially inappropriate behavior may have resulted from impulsivity, a common symptom of ADHD. It also may have resulted from N.B. being 10 years old.

N.B. did not possess a gun and did not pose an imminent danger to anyone.

Rather than being handcuffed, detained and arrested — all while being separated from her mother — counselors should have intervened to address both the drawing and the bullying that incited it.

Law enforcement should rarely be involved with youth at school. When schools refer youth with behavioral problems to law enforcement, studies show there is a higher probability the child will have continuous encounters with law enforcement, be labeled delinquent, and be funneled into the criminal justice system. This dynamic is known as “the school-to-prison pipeline.”

We are also concerned with police presence in schools. HPD touts a number of school-based programs designed to “build relationships with both students and faculty for public outreach and goodwill.”

While police may believe they are building relationships for goodwill, studies reveal the contrary. When police are in schools, teachers and administrators — who are already overworked and stressed — are more likely to rely on law enforcement for discipline than redirecting challenging behavior themselves.

HPD and the Department of Education (DOE) have denied any wrongdoing in this case, but the embarrassing outcome indicates several officials made bad decisions. In what world is it OK for our public institutions — the ones who are responsible for protecting all of us, especially our children — to handcuff, detain, and arrest a 10-year-old over a drawing? This case demonstrated HPD’s ineptitude in dealing with children.

Both HPD and the DOE claim that race had nothing to do with the incident because school officials and police officers did not exhibit biased attitudes toward N.B. This limited understanding of racism is why many people of color continue to experience racism despite people claiming they don’t discriminate. Black and brown children in Hawaii experience disproportionate rates of school discipline and arrest.

Not acknowledging the ways racism and extreme forms of punishment are woven into our institutions, so much that they have become normalized and difficult to notice, is irresponsible.

The school officials and police officers involved in the incident failed to see N.B.’s humanity.

We can do better. Here are a few ways we can do so:

>> Staff schools with adequate mental health counselors.

>> Do not call the police unless there is an imminent threat of serious bodily harm.

>> Do not separate parents from their child, particularly while being questioned by police.

>> Understand that children with disabilities may not behave in socially appropriate ways. Teachers and administrators need to be knowledgeable about behavioral differences and communicate them to parents and police if necessary.

>> Acknowledge that racism and criminalization are commonplace. Public officials need to admit this in order to critically examine and interrupt how our institutions reproduce harm.

Colleen Rost-Banik, Jaquelyn Chappel and Kimo Cashman are members of Hawai‘i Scholars for Education and Social Justice, a group of researchers who conduct, review and disseminate research related to education and social justice. Also contributing to this piece were Nicholas Chagnon and Marva Lawson.