State won’t set age for arresting kids

School safety bill requires policy, not age requirement

Florida likely won’t be setting a minimum age for arresting children, despite national outrage over a 6-year-old who had her hands zip-tied at school after she threw a temper tantrum.

The Florida House took up the issue Wednesday as part of a broader school-safety bill, a day after a Senate committee snubbed the girl’s family.

In passing the school-safety bill (HB 7065), the House approved a requirement that law enforcement agencies establish policies regarding the arrest of children 10 years or younger and disclose them to the public.

But the legislation doesn’t ban the arrest of small children, something that is already on the books in about two dozen other states. A farther-reaching Senate bill wasn’t heard Tuesday. It would have barred the arrest of children 10 or younger in most circumstances.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said a minimum arrest age could still be set, but time is running out to get it done this year. The Legislature’s 60-day session ends March 13.

Body camera footage showing the arrest of 6-year-old Kaia Rolle at an

Orlando charter school put attention on the issue. The first-grader had thrown a temper tantrum, kicking and punching three school employees.

But when officers arrived to arrest her, she had calmed down. Yet an officer bound her hands with plastic ties and put her in the back of a police sport utility vehicle.

Kaia’s grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland, said after the vote she’s glad something was done but wanted to see more. She watched from the House gallery, along with Kaia and family.

“It is the first step,” Kirkland said. “Everything takes steps. I am just happy, very happy, that this first step has been positive.”

The Orlando Police Department has a policy requiring a supervisor’s approval when children under the age of 12 are arrested. Officer Dennis Turner was fired in the days after the arrest. The agency said he failed to follow policy.

House Speaker Jose Oliva said he thinks a minimum arrest age is warranted, and it’s something that police departments already have in place.

“It’s troubling,” Oliva said. “Thankfully, this is not a frequent occurrence, but when it happens … one wonders, ‘What goes on inside people’s minds? What makes someone think I should handcuff and arrest a 6-year-old little child?’”

BOBY CALVAN/AP Meralyn Kirkland holds her granddaughter Kaia Rolle as legislators work on the House floor on Wednesday in Tallahassee.The 6-year-old was zip-tied at school last fall.