Saw My Son's Teacher in Handcuffs with the Police.. What Do I Do?

You don't do anything. If he was arrested for anything that impacts his job, the school will be aware of it.

N., No! my son was pulled over in the family van, handcuffed and the van was searched for no apparent reason, except he was a black man in the wrong neighbor. With out knowing all the details it's just gossip. J.

There is no telling why he had the handcuffs. He may have been resisting arrest for something he was against the police accusing him of and they decide to arrest him. I would discuss with the principal of the school to get the real facts. I've witnessed an instance before where a police was ready to put handcuffs on a husband who tried to get into his wife's car thinking it was opened, didn't have the right key and the alarm went off. He didn't have IDs etc and they assumed he was trying to steal the car. Luckily the wife came up in time to explain it.

mind your own business. i hate people who meddle and are always looking for reason to gossip. rumors can be easily spread about people without really knowing the FULL truth. maybe it was a domestice issue and his wife called the police. maybe he was suicidal and took off? you see...how there are so many scenarios/rumors already being created with what I'm saying? how do you know if he was directly harming anyone, other than himself? maybe it was unpaid traffic tickets?

sometimes peoples' personal lives aren't always so black and white, neither is yours.

i think you can call the police station and ask them..but i don't think i would tell on him..he could have just had a warrant for unpaid tickets..so i would try to find out first..even good people sometimes get in trouble with the law.

Why would you be the judge and jury of this teacher when you don't know what really happened?

A lot of times, the handcuffs are protocol.

I wouldn't run tattle to the school. If there is an issue, the school will be informed by the police and the school will take appropriate action.

If you have issues, be adult and speak directly to the teacher. Keep in mind that it is not your business so you may not be fostering any type of friendship with the teacher if you do approach him/her on this.

Think about your child..... of course your child is priority.... but don't judge without knowing the truth.

Definitely stay out of it. You don't know the story.
And maybe it was drunk driving. While drinking & driving are bad choices, it doesn't directly affect his ability to teach your child. My neighbor next door was arrested for drunk driving in his front yard after leading the cops on a 2 city chase! I have no idea what he was thinking! But, overall, he's a nice guy and neighbor, so it doesn't make him a bad person.
They could have pulled him over. Handcuffed him. Searched his car. And then released him. It may have ended up being nothing. My dad was once pulled over - wrong place at wrong time in a similar car that had just been used in a robbery. They released him of course.
If, by chance, he was arrested for something that would be detrimental to his teaching abilities, I guarantee you the school will be notified.
I wouldn't say anything to the teacher. It would be embarrassing. And, unless you're close, it serves no purpose other than to say "I know".
And, sometimes a police blotter is published in the newspaper or online or even at the station. If you really need to know, you could try to get ahold of it and read it.

You can call the school and inquire about it, but I wouldn't do that, because I wouldn't but don't pass too much judgment on it, and it could ruin his rep if it wasn a no big deal thing. I know several people who have been falsely arrested, or handcuffed for very minor things, like maybe they forgot to pay a parking ticket or whatever and got pulled over for not having a blinker on and the officer saw a warrant for the unpaid ticket, and yet, they are still decent people. If it was something major.. he probably won't be at work tomorrow, and the school will have to know anyways.

Call the police station and find out what it was for, if you absolutely must. But other than that, I would stay out of it until the truth came to light, and if it is serious, I would contact the school.

All of the previous responses that stated it could have been something "minor" like unpaid traffic tickets are correct. In addition, there is also the possibility of mistaken identity and misunderstandings as previously suggested. We do live in a society that operates under the tenet of "innocent until proven guilty." I am sure if he was arrested and booked for a crime that would affect his job teaching children he a: would not report for work the next day and b: would be suspended as soon as the police notified the school. I understand wholeheartedly wanting to protect your child, but without more information I don't think this sighting is any of the school's business.

You could call the police station and speak to someone there. There could have been several reasons why he was handcuffed. If it is something serious that would put students at risk he will no longer be employed as a teacher so I see know reason to report it to the school.
Edited: Just keep in mind that people can be arrested if their insurance was cancelled if they forgot to pay they may not even know, he could have forgotten to go renew his license (another reason you could be arrested), forgot to renew the car registration (another reason to be brought to the station and car towed), and I'm sure there are many other reasons out there where someone could have forgotten to pay something and now it has come back to bite them in the butt.

Ok, I would not do anything. Who knows what happened? I know I have several family members who are in law enforcement, and they have ALL told me that if I get pulled over, NEVER let them search my car. There are dirty cops out there, and you just never know.
Another story, my husband was caught in a road rage incident. The guy pulled over and my husband pulled over. Not the smartest thing, but, he did. The guy charged after my husband, and so my husband punched him and knocked him down. The guy cam after him again as my husband was getting in his truck, so again my husband punched him. The cops arrived. Since they didn't know what happened, they put both guys in handcuffs. Anyone driving by would have assumed the worst I'm sure.
This guy could have been speeding, the teacher. They might have asked to search his car, a lot of cops do for no reason. They might have put him in cuffs for their own protection, because they do deal with scary people. You just don't know what happened to have a right to say anything. I'm sure if it was a really bad ordeal, the school will find out and handle it.
If he's a good teacher, I'd leave it alone though.

Just what I would do:

Is there anything that would qualify as a "pass" to you? Like having a suspended license/ unpaid parking tickets/ running a red light to get to the hospital and then mouthing off/ or the teacher dating the cop's sister and being razzed/ draft dodger finally caught/ __________?

If not, absolutely go immediately to the principal... OTW... show up early to school and talk with the teacher and find out "why". Or call the police station. Arrests are often a matter of public record (not always, and not in all states). Then, if you're uncomfortable with why he was arrested, talk with the principal about moving your child out of their class.

I would call the police dept and find out what happened. Isnt this public knowledge? If he just got a ticket its no bodies business however if its something more sinister yes I would tell the school. There might be a moral clause for teachers.

You talk to the teacher if you have concerns. You DON'T tattle on him. YOU don't know the situation. Geez....how would you like it if you had some incident and before you were able to inform your employer some busy body went and did it????

Plus, people make mistakes all over the place. Try not to be so judgmental.

Honestly, I would go so far as to tell you it's none of your business. It could have been anything. The same thing happened to my husband a few years ago. He was pulled over and handcuffed while they searched his car. Turns out they were looking for someone in the area that matched his description and they (obviously) had the wrong guy. It was embarassing and a mistake on the policemen's part. I'm sure if there was really a problem the school would know about it and then so would the parents. Good luck in whatever you decide to do but keep in mind, he might not be a bad person.

Why not approach the teacher himself, and just ask. He'll be aware that people saw him, how it could effect his job and maybe in the future be more careful. And if it was something serious ie.. drugs,dui well you'll be able to tell when he starts trying to avoid the subject. You as a parent have every right to know who's with your child during the day. You hear of teachers everyday doing bad things.

i will say, there are some rare occassions in which the police will handcuff someone, even though they have not yet been arrested, while they perform a search, for their own safety. contact the police dept, and ask what, if any, charges were brought against the teacher.

Not everybody in handcuffs has committed a crime. Without further information, I think it would be in poor form to run to the school. Sometimes the police handcuff people while they are searching a vehicle for the safety of the officers. Try talking to the teacher and see what he is willing to share with you before you run to his boss. It's possible that you misinterpreted something.

No, because you don't know why he got pulled over. and you don't know what the out come was of the situation. if you go and report it he could loos his job over what you think happened. would you want that to happen to you i say stay out of it.

Personally I would mind my own business. You don't know the entire situation. Good people can still get arrested and jailed for stupid mistakes. Never paying tags, insurance lapses, speeding, etc. These are avoidable mistakes but sometimes it just happens. IF it was something serious I am quite sure the school will be informed. They most likely already know anyways.....plus are you positive it was them and not someone else? It is embarrassing enough to get handcuffs slapped on in front of the entire public and especially if it's a small town or you are well known and people make assumptions about you that are not necessarily true....sometimes our lives get busy and we forget about very important things that SHOULD be taken care of and if you get caught you get caught and have to pay the consequences.
My husband's friend just got pulled over and was jailed. The cop told him he was sorry but HAD to take him in because he cancelled his insurance and went with someone else but the other company was still billing him even though it had been cancelled and something about a lapse of insurance. Even though he showed proof he had the other insurance the cop said he still had to take him in....IDK that story sounds kind of shady to me so I am wondering if that is the truth but overall he is a good guy but IF someone he knew saw him being pulled over and arrested and didn't know him very well they would assume the worst which is wrong. Then they go off telling everyone -how would it make you feel?

I would talk to the teacher first and find out more info. You don't know the situation. I wouldn't jump to conclusions until you know the facts.

I would call the school and ask about it regardless of whether or not you see him at school. Police don't cuff people for nothing, and that man spends lots of time with your child. If it turns out to be nothing, then nothing will happen to the teacher anyway, but I always think it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to my kid.

My husband, several years ago, was pulled over down the street from his apartment. The police, LAPD to be exact, got on their bullhorn, and told him to get out of his car and lie down in the street. They handcuffed him and had him sit on the curb for the better part of a half hour. Then they said he was free to go.

Turns out my husband's truck and my husband resembled that of a man who had just committed an armed robbery in the neighborhood. In an abdundance of caution, the police officers "questioned" my husband and then afterwards sent him on his way.

I wonder whether this was what happened with your son's teacher?

E.

Wow. That's got to be interesting.
1. Are you SURE it was him?
2. If it was him, I might would approach the principal of the school. That would be his direct supervisor. The incident might not have anything to do with his job performance, but most school systems do have ethics/morals codes for their teachers.

Go the principal ASAP.

I'm glad the teacher was open with you. But, honestly, as a teacher, I wouldn't want to be asked about something like that. What happens after I'm off the clock is truly none of my students' or parents' business. I know this sounds harsh, but teachers are regular people, too. We have flaws, we make mistakes, and we're not perfect. If what I do outside the classroom doesn't impact your child's education, it is none of your business. Your son's teacher getting handcuffed on the side of the road has nothing to do with the quality of your son's education. Leave it be.

You got a lot of good answers already, but I think the biggest thing that came to my mind is this. If we aren't homeschooling our kids, we are always at the mercy of them being under the care of and influenced by other adults and kids whose behavior and influence may be less than ideal in our opinion.
I think the most important thing whatever you do, is to pray each day for your kids and their schools and the administration. I don't mean to sound like a holy roller (but I guess I am :), nor am I homeschooling my kids right now. Mine are in public school. If you are interested, there is actually an organization called Moms in Touch that does just that, prays for our kids and their schools. I am not involved with it, but it sounds wonderful.
Thankfully your son didn't witness the incident...

I'd be a good idea to tell the principal at school what you saw and only what you saw since this could be a misunderstanding; in which case is for the law to clear.

Crimes are public information. You can go to the courthouse and look up his name and see if there are any past, or current criminal cases against him. I would do this before approaching the principal.

Touchy because yeah you have no idea what really happened, BUT the teacher works with kids so not saying something could potentially put the kids in some sor tof harm. I do see your delimma. I would be super cautios and alert but I would maybe let the teacher know quitely. Let them know that you are not being judgemental but just concerned for the safety of your child. Around everyone else keep your mouth zipped. Unless something comes out. If you can't shake the feeling that you need to tell the school. Go ONLY to provide information, NOT to ask questions and find more info. Tell them you saw something that may or may not be cause for concern but you felt with holding the info might pose a risk to the kids. You would leave it up to the school to decide the course of action but make it absolutely clear that you do not know the whole truth, only a snapshot of what happened. Also tell them your statement is confidential. Good luck. I know this is not easy.

Approach the situation & ask your questions to whom it regards..

OMG-I am sorry for the one mom, who's son was handcuffed due to race, but the rest of them?????
THIS IS YOUR CHILD-I have NEVER and I mean NEVER known anyone in my life that was handcuffed or searched that hadn't broken the law and I don't want that person in charge of my child all day every day.
Ask the police, ask the teacher himself, ask the principal.

Teachers can do a lot of stuff and the districts are too afraid to end their employment. DO NOT trust that they will take care of it.
This teacher is an example to your child and regardless if they like it or not, they are judged and rightfully so. If you are molding young minds you better have your stuff together. I could never respect an educator who was picked up for DUI or any myriad of other reasons.

That's just my soap box, Good Luck with it.

Wow...tought spot. You don't want to "tell" on him if it really was no big deal (it could have been a case of mistaken identity...I know someone that happened to) but this is your kids safety your talking about. I always err on the side of caution. Go to the principle and tell him/her that you would like to notify him/her of something you observed. Stress that you don't know what it was about (do not speculate) and that you just happened upon it. Ask the principle if they would discretely look into it. You don't need to know the outcome but you need to know if your son is safe in his classroom.