Apparently to the Cumberland County, TN Sheriff’s Office,

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szvvAA5II58&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

We don’t know what might have transpired before the video recorder was turned on, but I don’t see anything that was recorded which would warrant an arrest.

I’m not even sure what the policy was that the father was disagreeing with. It seems to be a policy requiring him to sign a waiver to allow his kids to walk home without an escort. Fair enough.

Here is a story from the New York Daily News on the incident.

Donald Andrews, superintendent for the Cumberland County school district, told The News they made the change in policy, which parents received multiple notices about, to protect the students. Instead of anyone being able to just enter the building they now must wait in their car with a placard containing their child’s name.

“I make no apologies for the policy,” he said. “It was done for the safety of the children.”

So, the new policy that makes it less safe for the parents and the children was introduced to to make it more safe for the children. Plus, people who want to walk their kids home can’t. So much for all the health benefits of exercise.

From the video, Howe appears pretty calm. Aytes, not so much. In fact Aytes looks and sounds like an officious moron who is determined to make a point about a policy that is also moronic.

The sheriff says that he agrees with Howe in principle, but backs his deputy.

The sheriff says he agrees with Howe on principle. Both men say the new policy is creating safety concerns, mainly because there is line of cars that along the highway outside of the school. Burgess says parents should take any policy concerns to those in charge of the policy, not the school resource officer.

“On the other hand, the school system needs to realize you can’t make a black and white law,” Burgess said.

Actually, I think that he should apply that logic to his deputy, who clearly didn’t like Howe and was looking for an excuse to arrest him based on their past interaction.

What’s needed here is more Sheriff Andy and less Deputy Fife.

I expect that there will be some serious back pedaling and apologizing when Howe brings lawyers in to the situation.