Corporal Punishment in schools

[GentleMomof4]

Just saw a news report about a group of parents who are fighting to KEEP corporal punishment in schools. It's bad enough for people to hit their kids, but to allow and actually want someone else to hit them! Ridiculous!! :mad:mad:mad

---------- Post added at 10:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

They also had a phone poll during the news hour. 87% of the callers voted YES to keeping Corporal Punishment in schools. :sick

[Striving4Grace]

Even when I supported spanking if someone else laid a hand on one of my children I'd be livid! What is wrong with people?!?!:mad

[Waterlogged]

I have to say that corporal punishment was "legal" when I was teaching. However, it was NEVER used in my district. Parents could come up to the school if they felt their child needed a spanking :-/ but administrators WOULD NOT paddle a child. I taught in a rural/suburban district in Texas.

So...I think it's a lot of hot air. Very few administrators/teachers would be stupid enough to lay a hand/paddle on someone else's child, even if it was legal.

[LovinBeingMommy]

When my mom taught, her school used spanking, but the policy was that they called parents and gave them the option to come in and do it or they would do it for them (with a witness). I wouldn't be happy with either option. :(

[GentleMomof4]

My area doesn't support corporal punishment either, thankfully. It was a piece about a school in New Orleans (I think.) The parents were picketing the school because they said it helped keep their kids out of trouble. They showed them removing the school paddles. It was extra icky listening to the parents.

[Mokek Kwe]

I've found from the few different places I've lived that it's largely a cultural phenomenon. When I lived in "The Bible Belt" (Louisiana, Texas, southern Arkansas), corp punishment was used and accepted and mostly supported by parents. Here in Virginia, I don't think it's legal, and I don't think it's been legal here for a while.

Most of my schooling years were in Texas, and my mom always said, "If you get licks at school, you'll get them twice as hard at home." Apparently that's something a lot of kids are told (at least the ones who I went to school with, who I talked about this with during our school years).
I got in trouble in high school for a STUPID prank that I was hardly involved in, and they gave me the choice between 3 licks or 3 days in In-School-Suspension (which consisted of being stuck in a quiet room with other "bad" kids and not getting to see or talk to my friends. I took the licks. And my backside was bruised from the paddle. My mom almost filed a formal complaint because of the bruise, but didn't :scratch Never letting anyone hit my kid. If they do, there will be all heck to pay.

[DaltonsMomma]

Our local school district voted to reinstate it's paddle policy (after 5 years of basing discipline on Love and Logic) the year DS was supposed to start kindergarten. It was the deciding factor in my decision to homeschool.

My nephews attend this school and their parents had no problem signing the wavier allowing for paddling. One of my nephews was paddled at school last year for taking his toy from the teachers desk after she confiscated it. :cry

Even though I would never sign the waiver, I cannot allow my child to be in an environment of fear like that. I cannot believe there are people who think it's okay.

[TestifyToLove]

Spanking is still legal in our state. However, at least in our district, there's really no teeth to the policy. Only a principal can spank. Before spanking, the principal MUST contact the parent and MUST have permission in writing from the parent. The written permission is only good for 24 hours, only for the immediate infraction at hand and cannot be signed carte blanche before an incident occurs.

So basically, in order for any prinicipal to spank a student, the parent must agree AND must high-tail it down to the school to give immediately written permission for the spanking to occur.

I'd rather they ban spanking in schools entirely. However, I'm 100% certain they are never going to spank MY children because they are never, ever, ever going to get permission from either parent to pull such a stunt with any of my children.

Actually, M cannot be spanked in school. His IEP includes a Behavioral Action Plan that does not allow for spanking anywhere in his discipline structure. He can't even be suspended without reaching three thresholds of discipline in the classroom first.

A's never going to be in a situation that anyone would consider spanking him in school. He's the model honor roll student.

[eoconnel]

Here in NC it is a district by district policy. In the city schools where we go to school it is not allowed, but in the county it is allowed. In those cases the parent is notified, if they signed a permission slip allowing CP, that the child has reached that point and if the parent wanted to come do it or if the school does with a witness. In the school district we lived in when Emma was first born their policy was that a parent did not need to give permission for CP to occur that it was part of the discipline policy of the district. :sick :mad

[cbmk4]

I bet the legal consultants for these school districts are lying in bed awake at night. It's so hard to believe that any school district would think that CP is a good idea philosophically, but even from a legal/liability standpoint, it's foolhardy.

[Beth1231]

When I lived in Northeastern PA I went to a very small Christian school that allowed corporal punishment. Actually, you had to sign a permission slip designating either the principal or the parent (who had to come in) the right to hit your kid :mad :sick if the child was K-6th. Sixth-Twelve grade was based on demerits and detention etc. But there were a few times that an older boy (like 10th and 11th graders!) ticked off a parent enough that the parent told the principal to hit them instead :mad and I totally remember the environment and atmosphere of fear. :sigh What a lousy way to have to go through elementary school.

[Llee]

When we moved here (dh teaches at a one-room school), the parents told dh that he was welcome to spank their kids at any time, for whatever needed spanking. He just nodded his head, got VERY angry inside and proceeded to make his classroom a safe place for the kids. He doesn't shame, doesn't hit or even threaten to do so at home or at the school. And for him to have to talk with certain parents about an incident, it has be very bad, because he knows that they'll get spankings at home.

He was really slammed for not calling the parents in to punitively parent their children and for not shaming the kids. But now? The parents (mostly) really appreciate the approach he takes and that their kids like going to school now. It's a safe place for them.

It was really a shock for us, because they schools he'd subbbed at before (also private) had a NO-spanking/hitting/etc policy.

He figures that he wouldn't hit the girls; why would he hit his students?

[Sparrow]

I think it has been illegal in Canada since the 70's but it was legal in the '60s because my dad frequently got the strap :shifty.

When I was in grade 4 (so, this was 1986 ish) a teacher swatted a boy on the bottom on the playground. All us kids were horrified. I told my mom when I got home, and she asked me which teacher did it, and I told her. She was on the phone immediately. I'm glad that she did get on the phone. I'm not sure what came of it.

I doubt it would happen today, but if it did I believe the teacher would lose their job. If it were my child they'd also be looking at assault charges.

ETA, our province, BC was the first to outlaw it, in 1973. I'm surprised by the stats. for the rest!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /School_corporal_punishment

you can see below, that Costa Rica has banned corporal punishment all together :)

[GentleMomof4]

Wow! I 'm shocked by how many areas still allow it in school. IIRC, my district got rid of it before I started elementary because a principal (my principal in elementary) got in trouble for spanking a child so hard his entire bottom was black & blue. I never even thought about it being allowed in school now.

[Sparrow]

wow. that is so sad. I think if that happened where I live the guy would go to jail. They'd probably have to put him in special solitary.

[HomeWithMyBabies]

It's only been illegal in schools in my state for a few years, but I don't recall seeing it as a child. Spanking is fairly common but I doubt I know any parents who spank who would agree to letting a teacher or principal do it.

[light of mine]

It's still widely used around my hometown. My nephew (7) just got a paddling last week :mad (my sister did allow it though). If you don't allow your child to get a paddling here, then they send you home to your parents for a suspension, in hopes that more parents will allow them to use cp.

[Virginia]

I can't believe this is still legal. Wow. How awful :(

[ProudHooahWife]

I got spanked when I was in school however it is not legal where I was at anymore. When we lived in TX it was legal in the district where I was at as I know parents whose kids got spanked or had parents come spank. We homeschooled then too so it didn't personally happen to us. I would have been LIVID if it did though. Another good reason to homeschool if at all possible if you ask me:)

[Mokek Kwe]

Something I just remembered-
when I went to elementary school in Texas, there was a girl in the class whose mother signed the slip saying that she did NOT want her to get "licks" if she got in trouble, that she would come "deal with" (however) her child's behavior herself. And I don't know how this girl "turned out" or anything like that, but I do remember that she and her mom seemed closer than a lot of us other kids with our parents at that time.

[chasingbutterflies]

we actually, in looking to buy a house, are picking what counties we are willing to live in around here based on their CP policy. I wish we didn't even have to think about it though, kwim?

[Mokek Kwe]

we actually, in looking to buy a house, are picking what counties we are willing to live in around here based on their CP policy. I wish we didn't even have to think about it though, kwim?

Is it possible to speak with the school administrators/principals about the policy to make absolute sure that this is something you could opt out of? Unless, of course, you just want to avoid it entirely, including the possibility of your kids hearing other kids talking about what happened, which I can understand. :shrug3

[chasingbutterflies]

Is it possible to speak with the school administrators/principals about the policy to make absolute sure that this is something you could opt out of? Unless, of course, you just want to avoid it entirely, including the possibility of your kids hearing other kids talking about what happened, which I can understand. :shrug3

there's at least one district around here that you can't opt out of. :sick

---------- Post added at 12:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------

oh, and of course the school board in that particular county claims CP still isn't being used, but they won't ban it. which makes me think of the county in TN that was stuffing kids into crates, the school board was "shocked" that was happening too.

eta: to be fair, i just went and looked up the district i was thinking of. you *can* opt out with a doctor's note. so you'd have to find a ped willing to help, but you could opt out.

[DaltonsMomma]

we actually, in looking to buy a house, are picking what counties we are willing to live in around here based on their CP policy. I wish we didn't even have to think about it though, kwim?

I researched my local school in 2003 right before I bought my house. I read their handbook which stated they were a "love and logic" school. Not perfect, but much better then the schools I had grown up in. I was pleased and felt confident that DS would be fine there.

Then in 2005 when it was time to enroll him I read the handbook again. The "discipline" policy had been revised to include corporal punishment. Gone was every mention of love and logic. :mad I called the school and the secretary confirmed that the board had voted unanimously to reinstate the "paddle policy" in 2004 after an incident of bus vandalism. She told me not to worry because "they don't really have to use it....the kids just need to be afraid that they might". :sick