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I learned on Friday from my daughters principal that corporal punishment is being considered, and parents have been asked to complete a survey. The questions were strangely not specifically addressing corporal punishment but discipline issues overall. I was surprised that the principal was a supporter of bringing back corporal punishment. I am not, here is why: It is my role as a parent to decide when I need to physically reprimand my child ( and I am not a proponent of child-whipping), it give's too much power to educators, it is a flawed option in that "certain" children will be targeted such as those who do not conform passively to authority. I think corporal punishment in the schools is archaic, and we certainly should evolve to some other system of instilling cooperation in students. The principal said "you haven't been in my office when a kid said to his parent YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" My response was this is a kid who may not belong in this school, maybe the family needs referral to an outside agency. In other words when a kid is that out of control, do you think a few wacks is going solve his issues?
How awful. I would flip out personally. Not only would I not want my child in a school that uses corporal punishment, but I wouldn't want them to bear witness to that as a consequence for anyone.
The principal said "you haven't been in my office when a kid said to his parent YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"
If a child is defiant to his parents, then what on earth is a spanking/paddling from a principal going to do about it?
How does something like this work? If the principal decides to go for the corporal punishment, do the parents have no recourse? Do parents actually STAND for this??
Darhe,
What state are you in? I would like to help you. My email address is listed in my profile. Email me and I will help you. I serve on the Board of Directors for a national organization and we are working to get corporal punishment out of schools.
The only nation to ever put it back on the books after banning its use was Germany, during the Nazi reign. It has absolutely no place in schools.
You know that was my take on this. Well, we are looking into survey results, hopefully they will reveal that parents will not stand for this. I'm just afraid that parents will fold to the board, and we know poll results...can't be quite sure what the numbers really are. I did look to see that ARKANSAS also has dealt with this, and corporal punishment has been stood down, that's what we want. This just is not good at all. I'm certain I cannot allow my child to remain in the school system is they pass this.
We still have corporal punishment in Texas although some schools have policies that they don't use it. Actually lots of states still have it on the books. I disagree with it.
I live in the "great" state of MISSISSIPPI, the capitol.
And that is not a good thing! 8% of all children in Mississippi are corporally punished in a year, according to the Office of Civil Rights data. When you look at the top ten paddling states and compare incarceration rates, 8 of the same states appear on the top ten of both lists. Mississippi is third in its incarceration rate. It is also at the top of the nation for high school drop out rates, low test scores, teen pregancy, and ranks dead last in the overall health of children.
Mississippi is the poster child for why corporal punishment does not work, and continues to breed ignorance and violence in the cultures that embrace its use.
I have helped to advocate for the rights of an 18 year old who was paddled and bruised by a Mississippi principal. When children are hit and bruised, there is little recourse for parents.
Just know that if you are signing up for corporal punishment in schools, you are trusting all adults in the school to hit your child with a wooden board or the weapon of choice, and if your child is injured, the response will be that the policy was followed to the letter.
As a parent of a child who was left with bruises as a result of CP, I urge all parents to vote: NO! Before I tell my story, let me state that I hold the utmost respect for our educators and I do not think that all educators are child abusers. Now read on...
In Dec. 2007, I gave permission for my son to receive CP at school. I was hoping that after recieving CP that my son would think twice before engaging in any activities or behaviors that would cause him to be punished in the future. On the day my son was paddled, he came home with extensive bruises on his buttocks, including bursted blood vessels. Immediately after I saw these bruises I began seeking answers from the local Sherriff's office, the school board, and the Depart. of Social Services. I immediately learned that the local authorities would not press charges because they state, "there is no evidence of criminal intent". Although they state what happened to my son was indeed child abuse, DSS could not investigate the incident because they have no jurisdiction over our schools. Nice, right? The school board immediately began protecting this educator, stating they followed policy and the spanking was light. Light enough to leave burises lasting a week! The only part of the policy they failed to comply with was the part stating that "reasonable force" may be used. My child was so traumatized that I have had to remove him from school and begin homeschooling him. I cannot allow my child to be educated by child abusers.
That being said, I urge all parents to reconsider allowing educators to hit children with wooden planks as a form of discipline. Even if a school district uses CP, you can as a parent make a request in writing that they not use CP on your child. If you do so, they CANNOT use any form of CP on your child! Please take any and all steps you can to prevent your child from being abused at the hands of our educators!
"Even if a school district uses CP, you can as a parent make a request in writing that they not use CP on your child. If you do so, they CANNOT use any form of CP on your child! Please take any and all steps you can to prevent your child from being abused at the hands of our educators![/quote]
Great post, and thanks for sharing your son's account of abuse at the hand of an educator. I just wanted to let others know that not all districts have an opt out from corporal punishment. It is the main reason that I worked so hard to ban its use in Union County, NC. Our district did NOT need parental permission, the policy only required that a parent be notified AFTER the child was struck. I would have come unglued at that point, after the fact.
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Mississippi is number ONE
