The case involving the arrest of an Ellenville Elementary School teacher on charges of harassing one of her students illustrates a disturbing trend in our society as a whole. No longer do people work out their differences and conflicts together, but rather the first step in a disagreement with someone is to reach for the phone and call a lawyer. Simply put, this is a story that should never have gone this far, and we wonder whether or not it's the kind of thing that should have ever left the principal's office.

When a child comes home with a bruise, claiming it was caused by the teacher, it's easy to imagine the kind of reaction a parent might have. Protection is paramount for anyone concerned for their child's safety. But even at that point, the issue is still between the teacher, the student, and the parents, and would best be resolved between them, and possibly other school officials.

But what actually happened — the police were called in to investigate the situation right away, rather than trying to work things out beforehand — shows that there's a fundamental lack of trust in what should be one of our most trusted institutions. And it's not hard to see why.

The school is ruled by a massive bureaucracy, cowed and constricted by thousands of local, state, and federal mandates. This isn't the fault of the people working at our school districts, but it does affect almost every decision they make, and allows them to avoid taking risks and doing what's right. They're simply smaller parts of a larger entity, one which has grown so enormous and abstract that in most cases the common sense and autonomy needed to deal with the day to day has been permanently lost. It dehumanizes us, and keeps us from dealing with things on our own, so it is no wonder why a parent may feel they need to look elsewhere for a resolution.

The mere hint of legal trouble causes everyone to enter a defensive crouch — measuring words, avoiding pitfalls, and doing everything to preserve the legal upper hand. Let's be clear here: often this is very sensible, and perhaps even legally mandated, behavior. But in practical application, it only serves to frustrate someone with a legitimate complaint, and escalates a resolvable conflict into a nightmare. Now, instead of promoting dialogue and discussion, which could ultimately lead to a constructive resolution, we have an arrest, a court case, legal fees, angry phone calls, and people's reputations being sullied whether they're found guilty or not.

In a better world, this case would never have received the kind of attention it's gotten. It became a story when the participants decided to trade the classroom for the courtroom, and in so doing, involve us all.