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We could debate the argument of to spank or not to spank, and that has surfaced on this site in another thread. This is a different slant to the topic of corporal punishment. I believe that most people, whether or not they are in support of corporal punishment in the home or at school, do not support children being injured or bruised when being hit.
Here is my story and question for discussion.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, a child in a North Carolina school was paddled for telling another student to "shut up". The teacher paddled him with two wooden boards taped together, and as a result of the corporal punishment, the child ended up at the Emergency Room, his buttocks covered in bruises. The district has not returned phone calls or emails placed by the mother of this child, reporting the bruises. I have seen the photos.
There seems to be NO ONE who will hold this teacher accountable for what to me constitutes child abuse. The Department of Human Services is unable to assist this family, as they are only allowed to investigate parents or caregivers, not teachers. Local law enforcement and the district attorney will not press charges, as they say the law allows for corporal punishment, policy was followed, and there was no evidence of criminal intent. The state board of education will not hear public comments, and supports local control on this issue.
I say at a bare minimum we should hold teachers to the same standard and definition of child abuse as we hold parents to.
So here is the question.....is it child abuse when a teacher hits a child with a paddle, or two paddles taped together, or a belt, or any other implement of choice, and leaves the buttocks covered in bruises and welts? What would you do if this were your child? I can't imagine that in 2007, almost 2008, we are having to even ask this question of our educated sector.
What do you think? If you wish to view photos of the types of injuries that I speak of, you can email me and I will send you the link. You need to see the photos to really understand the types of injuries that are tolerated in our schools.
I will post the link if I am allowed to, but not sure if that will fly.
I would be FURIOUS if that happened to a child of mine. As a kid and often times a disruptive kid, I was paddled regularly. So often that it really didn't have much of a deterrent effect at all, but I wasn't doing anything bad, just talking and making jokes because I had a hard time being quiet and still for an hour at a time.
After getting at least a couple hundred paddlings throughout my school life, I've never once been bruised or welted. Red? Sure. But I've taken some pretty hard paddlings and not had anything other than a stinging butt result from it. So I would think it would take A LOT to bruise a kid with a flat board. And if I had a kid that came home bruised, I would be outraged and demand something be done or at the very least body slam the teacher who did it after following them to a dark alley somewhere.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pegmomof4
I say at a bare minimum we should hold teachers to the same standard and definition of child abuse as we hold parents to.
So here is the question.....is it child abuse when a teacher hits a child with a paddle, or two paddles taped together, or a belt, or any other implement of choice, and leaves the buttocks covered in bruises and welts? What would you do if this were your child? I can't imagine that in 2007, almost 2008, we are having to even ask this question of our educated sector.
I absolutely think it's child abuse, unfortunately the education community probably circles the wagons and protects its own, innocent or guilty, as fervently as any other professional, group. It's a shame local law enforcement is so unwilling, the law may allow corporal punishment but this seems to go a bit beyond that.
If it were me and I was unable to pursue any administrative course of action, I would retain competent counsel and look into the filing of a nice, hefty civil suit for damages against the teacher, the principal, and the local school board...
If the school is a public school (not specified in posting but I assume this is the case) I would file a civil suit.
I have a severely handicapped child who was (permanently) injured at public school, and we ended up filing a lawsuit over the injury when they denied responsibility and refused to fact find. Public school indemnification is a tough hurdle to beat legally, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It may cost you a few bucks, but you never know when you may have a case that sets a new precedence.
i am so tired of hearing file a civil suit for everything. there are 2 sides to every story. if the child was bruised the teacher needs to see the pictures and resign, but taxpayers certainly do not need to be punished for the behavior of 1 teacher.
I would be FURIOUS if that happened to a child of mine. As a kid and often times a disruptive kid, I was paddled regularly. So often that it really didn't have much of a deterrent effect at all, but I wasn't doing anything bad, just talking and making jokes because I had a hard time being quiet and still for an hour at a time.
After getting at least a couple hundred paddlings throughout my school life, I've never once been bruised or welted. Red? Sure. But I've taken some pretty hard paddlings and not had anything other than a stinging butt result from it. So I would think it would take A LOT to bruise a kid with a flat board. And if I had a kid that came home bruised, I would be outraged and demand something be done or at the very least body slam the teacher who did it after following them to a dark alley somewhere.
That raises an interesting question.
Should visible marks be the deciding factor?
At certain times in my life, all I have to do is look at my leg, and it has bruises on it. In the same token, just because one does not have visible bruises, does that mean they didn't get hit hard enough? (I've felt the pain of bruises at times, where no discoloration was present.)
i am so tired of hearing file a civil suit for everything. there are 2 sides to every story. if the child was bruised the teacher needs to see the pictures and resign, but taxpayers certainly do not need to be punished for the behavior of 1 teacher.
And I'm so tired of hearing the Sacred Taxpayers being used as an excuse to avoid personal reponsibility. From the facts of this case as presented, an agent of the taxpayers has chosen to inflict personal injury (potentially both physical and emotional) upon one of his young charges, and all normal channels of administrative relief have been blocked. Doesn't there have to be accountability? Don't we have to set an example and send a message in order to protect the other children? And if it turns out that this agent of the taxpayers is liable for damages caused, isn't it the responsibility of the taxpayers to make appropriate restitution? Why do you want to walk away from that responsibility?
If a parent were to pick up a wooden plank and inflict the same damages on his or her own child, and the child went to school and showed the bruises to a teacher, by law, that teacher is a "mandated reporter" and must report the suspicions of child abuse to the proper authorities.
I called the Department of Human Services in the county where this corporal punishment took place at school, and the intake specialist told me that it was child abuse, and why had I waited so long to call? I then told her it was a teacher, and she said, well never mind, we can't help.
I am looking for congruity in the definition of child abuse. I don't see anywhere in the definition where there is mention of what room it occurs in, eg, if this happens in a living room, it is abuse, if it happens in a classroom, it is fine.
Thanks for all the exchange of ideas. I agree, some people do bruise easier. Some cars dent easier too, but when someone hits your car, even accidently, they are still liable for the damages. We don't excuse the accident just because the one hit was in a little car that damaged easier than say, an SUV.
The man who struck and bruised this child is estimated to weigh over 300 pounds. He chose to pick up two boards taped together and strike a child that was 1/2 to 1/3 his size. No one should be surprised that the child is injured.
I agree, we need accountability. While it is currently legal in NC and in 20 other states to hit children with paddles, I believe that teachers need to be held to the same standards as parents. If they are mandated to report a parent for bruising a child, why are they allowed to bruise kids?
By the way, I am not defending the use of corporal punishment in schools, I believe that it needs to be banned by law. In the interim, I would settle for teachers not being able to bruise children. Again, you have to see the photos of the injuries that I speak of to really understand how grave this situation is, and what is being ignored by school officials.
Am I allowed to post a link here?
Last edited by pegmomof4; 12-28-2007 at 07:43 AM..
Reason: spelling error
PS, yes, this did happen in a public school, the alleged abuse happened in McDowell County. This district leads the state almost every year, or at least in the top several, of districts that corporally punish the most IDEA, or disabled children. The Office of Civil Rights collects that data, and I stumbled upon that fact a couple of years ago when I found that my own county, Union County, led both South Carolina and North Carolina's districts in using corporal punishment on the most disabled children. McDowell County was second that year. Now that Union County has banned, McDowell has more of a shot at being number one in that disgraceful catagory.
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