The rules of corporal punishment
In the 20 states that still allow kids to be paddled, school districts generally have their own rules for administering corporal punishment, or, in layman’s terms, whacking a kid.
Sometimes the rules specify the number of times a kid can be hit, and usually they identify which part of the body can be struck (usually the buttocks but sometimes the hands, too).
In one system, school officials are discouraged from giving children extra work as a disciplinary tool, or forcing an apology, or doing anything to embarrass them. But paddling is okay. At least one district requires that the injuries to a child caused by paddling not be "serious or lasting," and that the person administering it be calm, not angry. Good rule, that one.
There is no research whatsoever showing that this actually helps maintain discipline, although every now and then there will be a story in which some school officials swear that corporal punishment saved their institution from chaos.
I found rules in a few school systems that I thought I’d share, just in case your school system needs them:
From the Wayne County Board of Education in North Carolina:
The Wayne County Board of Education believes that discipline is training which corrects, molds, and strengthens an individual toward his greatest potential. It includes rules affecting conduct or obedience to a given standard. By providing instruction and opportunities to exercise self-control, disciplinary measures help students become well-balanced persons, which is the long range goal of a good classroom climate. .... The following practices by principals and teachers in the disciplining of pupils are not condoned by the Wayne County Public Schools and should not be used:
a. Lowering Grades - Grades cannot be lowered as a means of punishment for misbehavior.
b. Mass or Group Punishment - This is a poor practice which usually causes resentment among students.
c. Extra Work - This is a poor form of punishment.
d. Forced Apology - This type punishment tends to perpetuate the problem.
e. Sarcasm-Ridicule-Embarrassment (Verbal Abuse) - This technique is a poor practice which tends to destroy respect for the teacher because the language tends to humiliate and degrade the student. Verbal abuse is, therefore, considered unprofessional and unacceptable.
But hitting kids in Wayne County is acceptable. Here are the rules:
“Principals [and] teachers... may use reasonable force including corporal punishment in the exercise of lawful authority to restrain or correct pupils and maintain order as provided by North Carolina General Statute 115C390; provided that the use of reasonable force shall not include striking with the fists or heel of the hand, kicking, slapping or any other extreme measures.”
Moving over to Burke County Public Schools in North Carolina, the rules from the school board are more explicit:
Principals, teachers, substitute teachers and student-teachers, teacher aides, assistant teachers and student teachers in the public schools of Burke County may use reasonable force in the exercise of lawful authority to restrain or correct pupils and maintain order; all corporal punishment shall be administered by a principal or teacher in the presence of another principal or teacher. In the event of corporal punishment being administered to a female student, a female teacher shall at all times be present.
For the purpose of this policy, reasonable force does not contemplate the following:
1. The leaving of a serious or lasting injury.
2. Shall not be administered in anger or with malice. It is recommended that corporal punishment be administered by using a paddle on the buttocks. In no event shall a student be struck about the face or head.
3. Shall not be administered for unsubstantiated reason. Teachers shall not administer corporal punishment without first consulting with and obtaining the permission of the principal, assistant principal or designee.
4. Corporal punishment shall not be administered to a child until the teacher or principal has fully explained to the child the reason for the punishment and shall have listened to the child’s explanation of his actions.
5. Upon parent’s written request, the teacher or principal administering corporal punishment must give the parent in writing his reason for the administering of punishment and the name of the second official or teacher present.....
Greenwood Public School District n Mississippi gets even more specific, limiting he number of whacks a kid can get in a single corporal punishment episode:
Corporal punishment for use in this district is defined as punishing or correcting a student by striking the student on the buttocks with a paddle. Corporal punishment may be administered by either the principal or assistant principal; but in either case, another certified staff member must be a witness.
Corporal punishment shall not exceed five (5) swats with a paddle. Corporal punishment may be administered only to punish and/or correct disruptive student conduct.
Neither corporal punishment nor the promise of corporal punishment will be used to stimulate academic achievement or to punish academic lapses.
Prior to the administering of corporal punishment, the principal or his/her designee shall advise the student of the particular misconduct of which he/she is accused. The student shall be given an opportunity to explain his or her version of the facts prior to the imposition of such corporal punishment.
The student shall be informed beforehand of the specific misbehavior which results in the use of corporal punishment.
Such punishment should not be administered in the presence of other students or in anger.....
I’m just sorry I missed the discussion among school board members when they weighed whether three or four or five or six whacks was the the right number to snap a kid into compliance.
By the way, if you are wondering who gets whacked, a 2009 national survey report by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch said that students with disabilities are hit at a rate twice that of the general student population in the areas where it is allowed.
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| April 16, 2010; 12:52 PM ET
Categories: Bullying | Tags: corporal punishment, paddling, school discipline
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