Inspired by Spanking Thread

[CajunDixie]

Do you know what your child's school policy is on spanking. I was surprised when a parent from our school told me the principal called her to ask if he could paddle (with a wooden paddle) her son.
Her son, a then 4th grader, had said something inappropriate about another student. The teacher sent him to the office. The principal told him he had 2 choices, be paddled or sit in the time out "room" during his full lunch recess, which I think is about 25 minutes. The time out rooms are actually closet size with a countertop that is desk height and a chair and the door has a small vertical window. When you look out the window all you see is the wall of the poorly lit hallway. Her son felt this was too small of a space and that he would feel claustophobic. When she explained that her son had problems in small spaces he refused to place him in a different area for the time out and said then he must choose the paddling. She told him if he paddled her son she would call the police. He finally relented and placed her son in a conference room with the door facing the secretary open.

Does your school system support paddling?

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

I have worked in two different districts that do not support paddling at all in any of their schools. With special education students there are all kinds of new rules on time outs and what you described would sound like a violation of some of those rules if the student was SpEd. Don't know offhand otherwise...

 

[Sandy22]

Does your school system support paddling?

My school system does not support the use of physical punishment. If it did, I would move. There's no way in heck I would let anyone touch my children!

 

[gina2000]

Are you serious? Getting hit in school? I haven't seen that in 35 years around here!

And the alternative is being put in a room the size of a closet?

This sort of discipline doesn't exist around here and hasn't since I was a child. Even then it wasn't condoned.

Holy mackeral! I thought I had read everything til I saw this!

 

[MELSMICE]

Wow - I don't hit my kids & I wouldn't expect anyone else to either.

What ever happened to detention for bad behavior!

 

[Goobergal99]

God help the first person to ever lay their hand on my child. I would not be mentally responsible for what I would do.

 

[Serena]

Our schools have an opt out policy. You send in a signed form letter saying they may not spank your child.
I may spank my child, but heaven help anyone else if they did.

 

[HeatherH]

Good God, NO, our school system does NOT support physical punishment!

I'm thinking this is a REGIONAL thing, I've lived all over the country (East, Midwest, West) and NOWHERE has any school system had corporal punishment as an option. Is this a Southern thing?

Agree with the others who said if it was an option in my school, I'd move, no way in HELL would I let any school administrator use corporal punishment on my child!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

As a teacher of fifth graders, I am utterly appalled at the behavior of this principal. He is highly unprofessional and should be reported.

 

[Miller1412]

I went to a small Christian school...ahem...about 30 years ago, that used to spank, but stopped because they could not be insured if they were carrying out that type of discipline. They stopped when I was in elementary school, so it's been some time now.

I'd be surprised if any insurance group would carry that kind of a liability.
Not to mention it's completely inappropriate!

 

[thinkerbell]

It is not a southern thing. I teach in the south and the neither of the two counties that I have worked in allow corporal punishment. I have not heard of any neighboring counties allowing it either.

 

[dis4me]

I have never heard of corporal punishment being allowed or practiced in public schools in at least 20 years.I would get out of that school district quickly.I would also inform the state board of education on the policy this school has in place.I am apalled

 

[glass-slipper]

Do you know what your child's school policy is on spanking. I was surprised when a parent from our school told me the principal called her to ask if he could paddle (with a wooden paddle) her son.
Her son, a then 4th grader, had said something inappropriate about another student. The teacher sent him to the office. The principal told him he had 2 choices, be paddled or sit in the time out "room" during his full lunch recess, which I think is about 25 minutes. The time out rooms are actually closet size with a countertop that is desk height and a chair and the door has a small vertical window. When you look out the window all you see is the wall of the poorly lit hallway. Her son felt this was too small of a space and that he would feel claustophobic. When she explained that her son had problems in small spaces he refused to place him in a different area for the time out and said then he must choose the paddling. She told him if he paddled her son she would call the police. He finally relented and placed her son in a conference room with the door facing the secretary open.

Does your school system support paddling?

Unbelievable! Time for people to come out of the dark ages. Our schools haven't allowed corporal punishment for at least 30-35 years. If they did, no way would they spank my kids!

 

[JennyMominRI]

Corporal punishment is legal in 22 states.
Where the states stand on corporal punishment:
Alabama--Legal
Alaska--Illegal
Arizona--Legal
Arkansas--Legal
California--Illegal
Colorado--Legal
Connecticut--Illegal
Delaware--Illegal
District of Columbia--N/A
Florida--Legal
Georgia--Legal
Hawaii--Illegal
Idaho--Legal
Illinois--Illegal
Indiana--Legal
Iowa--Illegal
Kansas--Legal
Kentucky--Legal
Louisiana--Legal
Maine--Illegal
Maryland--Illegal
Massachusetts--Illegal
Michigan--Illegal
Minnesota--Illegal
Mississippi--Legal
Missouri--Legal Montana--Illegal
Nebraska--Illegal
Nevada--Illegal
New Hampshire--Illegal
New Jersey--Illegal
New Mexico--Legal
New York--Illegal
North Carolina--Legal
North Dakota--Illegal
Ohio--Legal
Oklahoma--Legal
Oregon--Illegal
Pennsylvania--Legal
Rhode Island--Restricted*
South Carolina--Legal
South Dakota--Illegal
Tennessee--Legal
Texas--Legal
Utah--Illegal
Vermont--Illegal
Virginia--Illegal
Washington--Illegal
West Virginia--Illegal
Wisconsin--Illegal
Wyoming--Legal
* banned by every school board in the state

 

[JennyMominRI]

I wanted to add. I was paddled in West Virginia in the 4th grade.I talked too much...It's now illegal there

 

[DisneyGirl]

There has to be something wrong when a parent can get in trouble if someone reports them for lightly hitting their OWN child in public, yet a SCHOOL principal can give an ultimatum between being confined in a closet and being paddled... there's definitely a problem there-- what happened to good old fashioned detentions (and not in-school-- after school or Saturday detentions (we had people who would TRY to get suspended because then they didn't have to go to school-- not exactly a punishment )

 

[teacherforhi]

We have after-school and Saturday detentions. Doesn't do any good. If the parent refuses to come pick up their child or deliver them on Saturday, what do we do? Right now, if they don't show up for detention, then they're suspended, so they got what they wanted anyway.

My school doesn't paddle, but I know that at the elementary school the parent can have the option of having their child paddled or suspended (if suspension is warranted).

 

[CajunDixie]

I'm thinking this is a REGIONAL thing, I've lived all over the country (East, Midwest, West) and NOWHERE has any school system had corporal punishment as an option. Is this a Southern thing?

Nope, I'm in the Midwest.
This principal has in the past 4 years has had less suspensions than the previous principal. The school board seems to think this is great but I doubt they have any idea what the alternative to suspension is with this principal.

 

[va32h]

Time for people to come out of the dark ages.

Alas, here in Texas, the Dark Ages flourish!

In our school district, you have to send a note saying they are not allowed to paddle. I don't know if anyone in the school actually has been paddled though.

I was also treated to a classic "boys will be boys" lecture when I complained that a boy in my daughters class had followed her home from school, throwing rocks at her. The principal very kindly explained to me that this boy (who was 9, and a well known discipline problem) just "thought she was cute" and needed to be directed to more appropriate ways of showing his interest.

 

[chibichibirei]

Wow! I dont think I've heard of anyone using phsyical punishment in a long tim e!