The Teacher Video Is Here

Here's the video of the teacher in Lawrence, MA facing felony charges for grabbing a fleeing 7-year-old by the shirt collar and dragging him to the principal's office.

Was the substitute teacher too rough with this kid? Maybe. Should the teacher be disciplined? Maybe. Does the teacher's treatment of the fleeing kid really deserve five years in prison? No way.

The reason for this extreme reaction is entirely political. The sub is a very big, very white guy. The student comes from a home where the mother speaks so little English she had to answer questions in Spanish. The Lawrence school system has a superintendent who repeatedly failed the English proficiency test and is widely viewed as an incompetent. But he's very popular among one key constituency, which means he keeps his job.

So why is the guy facing felony charges, really? Let me put it this way: If the teacher's name in this case had been Jose Gonzales, no charges would ever have been filed.