Police officer handcuffs boy, 7, with ADHD

The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was handcuffed by a police officer while at school has expressed her outrage at the use of force.

Chrystal McCadden said she was called to collect her son– who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – from Brownwell Academy in Michigan after he become disruptive in class.

"He's hyper. I've gotten these calls about (him) being hyper before," she told NBC News. But she was shocked to discover him standing in the hallway with his hands secured behind his back.

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"He don't deserve to be in no handcuffs, he ain't in here with no knife, he ain't in here with no gun," McCadden said. "I'm still trying to get answers."

The Flint Police Department has said that the officer handcuffed the boy out of "concern for his safety and the safety of others". It has issued an apology to McCadden and has opened an inquiry.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between police and African American communities, and has sparked a renewed debate about punishment in schools.

Black and Hispanic students — particularly those with disabilities — face disproportionate rates of punishment compared to their peers and are more often subject to seclusion or restraints, according to government data published in the New York Times in 2012.