Spring Valley High School near Columbia, South Carolina was the scene of a classroom incident, captured on student videos this week and shown on countless news programs. The white officer who dragged a 16-year old black girl out of her chair and across the floor has been fired. The girl herself — and one of the kids who recorded the action — face charges.
It's drawn attention to a fact of life at thousands of public schools: uniformed police officers, often with deadly weapons, provide security on campus. But, even elementary school kids have been arrested, interrogated, searched and taken to court on criminal charges. What's the impact on the rest of their lives — and on the educational environment for their classmates?