Whenever you’re dealing with kids as an adult, it’s important to remember they are years away from being fully developed physically, mentally, or emotionally. Even during moments where children misbehave, it’s important to remember they are imperfect and thus deserve a reasonable amount of grace as they learn how to navigate a world that many of us adults still struggle to thrive in. A "tough love" approach can cause long-term harm, particularly to Black students.

It seems that Judge Kenneth King of the 36th District Court could have used those reminders.

What started out as a field trip with the local nonprofit Greening of Detroit turned into a “scared straight” gimmick that reveals some serious lapses in judgment by the court, no pun intended.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the judge placed a teenage Black girl in jail clothes, had her handcuffed, and threatened to put her behind bars. The judge claims he didn’t appreciate the student’s attitude and that she fell asleep twice in his courtroom.

Reports of the incident caused widespread negative reactions from Detroiters on social media.

The Detroit Free Press reports that King has since been temporarily taken off the docket by the court and was ordered to undergo training, according to a statement from 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico.

“We hope that these steps will help to reassure the public of the 36th District Court’s dedication to serving our community with integrity and fairness,” McConico said in the statement on Thursday.

A 'Tough Love' Approach to Disciplining Black Students Perpetuates Criminalization

As a lifelong Detroiter, a Black man, and someone who just spent the past school year teaching in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, I think the court’s punishment doesn’t go far enough for King.

The middle and high school years are vital for a student’s development — not only in the academic sense, but as far as self-esteem and self-image are concerned. I spoke to students on a near-daily basis about different issues they felt but couldn’t quite articulate. Many of my students regularly came to school with poor attitudes, fell asleep in class, got in fights with other students, and even openly disrespected me and other teachers.

Dealing with a disrespectful child is never fun, and it takes an incredible amount of patience to refrain from immediately kicking kids out of the classroom. But it’s that same patience my teachers showed me during days where I had a bad attitude or didn’t get enough sleep that I try to show to students anytime I can. Especially when dealing with young Black students, tough love can perpetuate more harm than good.

Read the full article about tough love and racial inequity by Bryce Huffman at Chalkbeat.