Boy, 13, Charged With Assault After Kissing Girl on a Dare

A thirteen-year-old Maryland middle school student was arrested and charged with second-degree assault after kissing a classmate on a dare.

Washington Times:

A 13-year-old Baltimore middle school boy is facing a second-degree assault charge as a juvenile after he allegedly kissed a classmate without her permission.

Baltimore County police officers and Baltimore County school officials responded to a report of an assault between two eighth-grade students this week at Pikesville Middle School, local Fox station WBFF reported.

School officials said the boy kissed the 14-year-old girl when some of his classmates dared him to.

No one was injured in the incident and school officials said they would handle any disciplinary actions, such as suspension or expulsion from the school, WBFF reported.

The incident has some parents questioning the severity of the boy’s punishment.

“I don’t know if an unwanted kiss is a second-degree assault of a person,” on parents of a Pikesville student told WBFF.

Another parent suggested school officials should have called the parents of the children in to discuss the issue together, rather than call the police.

There is a temptation to minimize this incident because of the age of the boy. We shouldn’t. The young man acted in an inappropriate manner and he needs to realize that in no uncertain terms.

Having said that, what knucklehead administrator called the police? How is this a police matter? To criminalize inappropriate behavior is ridiculous and I’d love to hear the reasoning of the school in charging a 13-year-old boy with assault.

I think the idea of calling in the parents of both children to handle the matter is more to the point. A suspension of the boy for a few days is appropriate, but beyond that, are you going to try to convict the kid, giving him a criminal record?

I swear I don’t understand why school administrators constantly overreact to every little thing that happens at their schools. Common sense and logic don’t seem to be a requirement when applying for an administrative position at a U.S. public school.