CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Kiana McManus was shocked at something her 9-year-old son said recently while walking down a hallway at his school.
“Messiyah said, ‘Mom, that’s jail,’” she said.
He was referring to a small room at Winding Springs Elementary School in north Charlotte where he was forced to sit in time-out as punishment, McManus said.
McManus said it’s no bigger than a closet and that Messiyah has been forced to sit in the room alone four times, sometimes for hours with no adult in the room.
“Wednesday, I was screaming because I didn't want to be in that room,” Messiyah said.
“The lady came in and opened the door, told him to be quiet then closed it,” McManus said. “He almost missed lunch. He said he was hungry.”
A CMS spokeswoman said the room is right next to the principal's office. She said the door is kept open, and there is a desk inside where students are expected to continue their school work.
When Eyewitness News asked how long students could be left in there, she said it depends on what they are being punished for.
The McManus family said that explanation just isn't good enough.
They said they agree that children need discipline, but not in what their son calls “jail.”
“Time-out is in a corner for five or 10 minutes. Not two or three hours.”
A CMS spokesperson suggested the McManus family call their area superintendent to try and resolve the issue.