Corporal Punishment in Tenn schools-East part? (public schools, law, baby sitters)

[Mrs.Bewitched]

I was on a Tenn. teacher website, and came across a forum in which it stated that corporal punishment is used, and usually often. Is this true? Is it also true that all a parent has to is sign a form each year stating that their child is NOT allowed to have corporal punishment used against him, and then it won't happen to their child?

[chester's]

http://www.stophitting.com/laws/legalInformation.php (broken link)
Tennessee/TN 49-6-4103
49-6-4103. Corporal Punishment

"Any teacher or school principal may use corporal punishment in a reasonable manner against any pupil for good cause in order to maintain discipline and order within the public schools."

[garth]

I hope that if the child is doing something disruptive that warrant corporal punishment, and the parent refuses to allow it, that the child is thrown out of the school or sent to an alternative school where the disruptive students can ruin each other's education instead of ruining it for the good students. Does something like that happen or is the school hamstrung at that point and required to keep the disruptive and misbehaving student in the school?

[mbmouse]

I can only speak for the two counties (Greene and Washington) that my children have been in and to answer both of your questions, Yes. There is corporal punishment still in Greene Co and some other more rural ones and you do have to sign a form at the beginning of the year and it has options. I chose the option of being called and deciding on the incident if corporal punishment is warranted. I can say, I have never gotten a call and it has never been an issue with my boys. As for Washington CO. There is a school called "Abeck"(sp?) where children who can not behave are sent for a number of days. That is used instead of suspending a child. Both Counties have zero tolerance for not only drugs and weapons, but for fighting as well. Sometimes that is good, sometimes bad because if there is a fight all students involved get sent to Abeck. You say "good", but there have been instances where one just walks up to another, punches and they both go to Abeck even if one did not throw a punch. So, it is good and yet it has it's flaws. But in a nut shell, schools are strict on discipline here and most high schools, in larger towns and cities, have " resource officers". Which is a sheriffs officer that handles a lot of the discipline issues. That is one of the reasons I believe my children are getting a much better education here than is FL. The teachers are allowed to teach and not have to be baby sitters and referees with there hands tied behind there backs.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

Originally Posted by garth

I hope that if the child is doing something disruptive that warrant corporal punishment, and the parent refuses to allow it, that the child is thrown out of the school or sent to an alternative school where the disruptive students can ruin each other's education instead of ruining it for the good students. Does something like that happen or is the school hamstrung at that point and required to keep the disruptive and misbehaving student in the school?

Well, from what I am reading, you can be paddled for chewing gum, being late, and so on. Not just for disruptive behavior. So what warrents it? Being the type of child that cannot sit still during circle time, so because that child cannot (ADHD), then that child needs to be paddled? Or because he didn't raise his hand before talking? what constitutes "warranting"? Because from what I am hearing from the mouths of actual Tennessee teachers, there is no fine line-it can be chewing gum from one teacher, to not agreeing with a teacher to earning a paddle.

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by mrshvo

Well, from what I am reading, you can be paddled for chewing gum, being late, and so on. Not just for disruptive behavior. So what warrents it? Being the type of child that cannot sit still during circle time, so because that child cannot (ADHD), then that child needs to be paddled? Or because he didn't raise his hand before talking? what constitutes "warranting"? Because from what I am hearing from the mouths of actual Tennessee teachers, there is no fine line-it can be chewing gum from one teacher, to not agreeing with a teacher to earning a paddle.

What school system is this? Where are these teachers you are talking to teaching? I have not heard of anything like that. In the schools systems I have been involved with, only the predicable is allowed to administer any corporal punishment.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

I was on a teachers website, and it has a forum for each site, and I was on the link for Tennessee. Many teachers were posting about it, and many agreeing with it. Then someone put in a link to actual pictures of children's body parts, and then it showed a picture of a football coach paddling a student form the team. It stated that you could also get paddled for grades. I know that when I was younger, I was a D/C student, with some failures-not from lack of trying, but i guess I wasn't the smartest bulb in the bunch. Then to be smacked for it!!

[chester's]

I'm not altogether sure spanking is wrong. I grew up in OK and was spanked in school. I deserved discipline for sure and I usuallydidn'tdo it again (at school) but sometimes the principal ,who gave the licks, went overboard by quite a bit. I'm not altogether sure strangers(my childs teachers,principal) should be able to inflict this kind of pain and some say child abuse/sexual abuse on my child.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

That's why I disagree with it. There is no law or guideline on the force of the paddling, or exactly what warrents it. It can be as strong as a man can swing back, or for chewing gum. So now I am afraid to move. I am afraid for my child good kid, smart kid, but a hyper kid. I don't want him getting whacked because in circle time, he needs to rock back and forth and can't sit still.

[chester's]

I can't see him getting paddled for that. But the, what do I know I'm not in TN