Texas district expands corporal punishment policy
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SPRINGTOWN, Texas (AP) - Like many schools in Texas, "spare the rod and spoil the child" might be considered the motto at Springtown High School.
But when two teenage girls there reportedly suffered bruises after being paddled by male assistant principals, some parents complained. They weren't upset about the punishment itself, but instead that the school violated the policy requiring an educator of the same sex as the student to dole out the paddling.
So the school district has changed its policy - to expand, not abolish, corporal punishment. Board members voted Monday night to let administrators paddle students of the opposite sex, after Superintendent Michael Kelley cited a lack of women administrators to carry out spankings.
The new policy says a same-gender school official must witness the paddling, which is just one "swat," and that parents also can request one spanking per semester. In all cases, a parent must give written permission and request it in lieu of another punishment, such as suspension or detention.
"I personally think Texas is getting a black eye because of this," Kelley told The Associated Press. "People are assuming a school district can do whatever it wants because of this. That's not the case."
Texas law allows schools to use corporal punishment unless a parent or guardian prohibits it in writing. The issue of the student or educator's gender is not addressed, and there are no state standards on the minimum or maximum ages of students who can be spanked, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Cathi Watt, whose daughter was one of the two girls recently paddled, said Tuesday that she's OK with paddlings in schools "because they need it once in a while, and I got them when I was a kid." But she said the male administrator used too much force, so she does not support the new policy.
Watt said her 16-year-old daughter, Jada, deserved to be spanked after she spoke sarcastically to a teacher and an assistant principal, "but she did not deserve to be bruised."
"And what kind of message does it send these boys?" Watt said. "Is it telling them that it's OK to hit a girl?"
Texas is one of 19 states allowing schools to spank students, but 97 of the nation's 100 largest school districts have banned corporal punishment, according to the Center for Effective Discipline.
About 75 percent of the state's school districts use corporal punishment, including Springtown, a town of about 2,700 located about 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth, according to People Opposed to Paddling Students, a group based in Houston. Some of the major districts, including Fort Worth, don't paddle students.
"It is never OK to hit a child. ... Men should not be padding teenage girls, because there is a sexual connotation with teen girls but also with teen boys," said Jimmy Dunne, president of People Opposed to Paddling Students.
State Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, thinks schools should never spank children, but her bill to abolish corporal punishment in Texas schools never passed. She said the compromised version of her bill, which did become law, was that parents could opt in.
"Parents can choose whether to spank their children at home," Allen said. "When you send a child to school, it should be a place to be motivated - not a place to be beaten."
But when two teenage girls there reportedly suffered bruises after being paddled by male assistant principals, some parents complained. They weren't upset about the punishment itself, but instead that the school violated the policy requiring an educator of the same sex as the student to dole out the paddling.
So the school district has changed its policy - to expand, not abolish, corporal punishment. Board members voted Monday night to let administrators paddle students of the opposite sex, after Superintendent Michael Kelley cited a lack of women administrators to carry out spankings.
The new policy says a same-gender school official must witness the paddling, which is just one "swat," and that parents also can request one spanking per semester. In all cases, a parent must give written permission and request it in lieu of another punishment, such as suspension or detention.
"I personally think Texas is getting a black eye because of this," Kelley told The Associated Press. "People are assuming a school district can do whatever it wants because of this. That's not the case."
Texas law allows schools to use corporal punishment unless a parent or guardian prohibits it in writing. The issue of the student or educator's gender is not addressed, and there are no state standards on the minimum or maximum ages of students who can be spanked, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Cathi Watt, whose daughter was one of the two girls recently paddled, said Tuesday that she's OK with paddlings in schools "because they need it once in a while, and I got them when I was a kid." But she said the male administrator used too much force, so she does not support the new policy.
Watt said her 16-year-old daughter, Jada, deserved to be spanked after she spoke sarcastically to a teacher and an assistant principal, "but she did not deserve to be bruised."
"And what kind of message does it send these boys?" Watt said. "Is it telling them that it's OK to hit a girl?"
Texas is one of 19 states allowing schools to spank students, but 97 of the nation's 100 largest school districts have banned corporal punishment, according to the Center for Effective Discipline.
About 75 percent of the state's school districts use corporal punishment, including Springtown, a town of about 2,700 located about 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth, according to People Opposed to Paddling Students, a group based in Houston. Some of the major districts, including Fort Worth, don't paddle students.
"It is never OK to hit a child. ... Men should not be padding teenage girls, because there is a sexual connotation with teen girls but also with teen boys," said Jimmy Dunne, president of People Opposed to Paddling Students.
State Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, thinks schools should never spank children, but her bill to abolish corporal punishment in Texas schools never passed. She said the compromised version of her bill, which did become law, was that parents could opt in.
"Parents can choose whether to spank their children at home," Allen said. "When you send a child to school, it should be a place to be motivated - not a place to be beaten."
I have to laugh at the "enlightened" helicopter parents posting here. Maybe the lack of a well-applied swat is what is wrong with today's out-of-control, rude, nasty-mouthed and socially inept teens.
I just ask my 16 year old grandson if they have corporal punishment at his high school, the answer is NO, the punishment most received for mouthing off is detention, if that doesn't work, it's suspension for a short time, and if that doesn't work, they are kicked out of that school district permanently, no going back to that school, seems like Texas is on the bandwagon for violence, they allow school wackings, they have an express way to the death chamber, as one Texan wrote in another story about executions, wow....
This is an armed assault. Being that it's not in keeping with the federal DoEdu practice in school administration, it's a no brainer to get a change of venue out of Texas to personally prosecute every one of them, where ongoing systematic assault on kids by a group of criminals is still a crime. There's no way that the Pres, Congress, DoE, the DoJ, and the Supreme Court are gonna mandate corporal punishment, or even condone it for America. If the populace of Texas has not specifically voted on it, there's no defensible Sovereignty issue.
What kind of message does this send to teenagers? is getting wacked the solution or does it just add to the anger some teens have already, I think school spanking is in-approriate in a high school setting or any school setting, no matter how it's sliced, hitting someone is a violent act, and this would send a signal to already hostile kids it's ok to hit someone if they mouth off, weather in authority or not, good heavens, school is suppose to be a haven not a hell, remember Columbine? I just don't understand how a parent can ok this sort of punishment, there had better be a very clear form sent home with my teen telling me I can opt out of this kind of abuse before it takes place.
Maybe if these kids didn't mouth off enough to require a law like this it wouldn't be an issue....
No child left protected. Untenable scenario at the federal level, who should be killing their educational funding, according to common practice.
If anybody ever laid a hand on my child besides me, they had better watch out. It's assault, plain and simple.
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I say give Texas back to Mexico. They want to be independent anyways. Their views on womens rights and corporal punishment are just archaic.
@Tattooed_Angel
It is obvious you either did not read the whole article or just cannot read. You would have to first give the school written permission to administer the spanking before they could do it. Learn to read or spend the 5 minutes doing it before you make such a wacked out nut job comment.
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Yes, of course. I forget that every subject that comes up is about the republicans and democrats. It's called tunnel vision and I wonder who would be to blame for everything if it weren't for that.
 @Jatok I remember those people too. They called themselves the "Young Republicans."
I don't think that's anything to brag about quite frankly. It was about the same time that many generations started to come up without any manners, consideration, for others, and the "ME" attitude.
 @Tattooed_Angel  @bustedupredneck And what became of the students of my generation, how did they develop? We became the hippys and yippys that lead a rebellion against all authority in the late 1960s. We turned a quite rural and suburban USA into a kick-ass street fighting anti- establishment revolution, fueled by sex, drugs and rock & roll.
 @Tattooed_Angel  @bustedupredneck There was a time when corporal punishment of unruly students was common in all 50 States. In the 1950s and 60s it was employed quite a lot and parental approval was not required. I had a male teacher when I was in 2nd grade apply the paddle to my backside. I remember that he hit me so hard that I fell forward onto my knees and hands.
 @bustedupredneck  @Tattooed_Angel A legislator had to fight to make the assault an "opt in" program of abuse.
 @Tattooed_Angel The problem is too many parents want the school to raise their kids. Too many parents are afraid to use force on their children. Keep in mind, people can use force on your kids to protect others...that is not assault.
@K00lGuy And spanking a child that smarted off is protecting others how? They BRUISED her. That is unacceptable.
I bet she won't mouth off in class again...
The Northwest is so enlightened...and Tuba Man was beat to death by some of society's wild childs that ran crazy with no guidance or consequences for their actions,
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Spare the rod and spoil the child! (it can be done in love and it can be done in a non abusive manner) That's not abuse that is giving consequences for bad, rude and inexcusable behavior!
@Truth Percolates Spanking in general is harmful, as a lot has been learned about the psychological effects.....never mind legal definitions of assault. It teaches kids that hitting people is an acceptable form of behaviour and that you solve problems through violence. There are other more effective means of punishment than assaulting your child.
Ass backwards Texas! I would stick my foot so far up a principals ass, that he would be wearing my toes for his teeth, should he/she paddle my child. Insane.
Any teacher, principal, or school official that ever spanked my kid would have my fist firmly planted in their face.
Wonder what the "freakonomics" of school spanking are. Levitt & Dubner would have a field day linking statutory violence with murder rate/capital punishment cases. I am not saying that there is a linear / proportionate correlation, but it would be a "fun" project for them.
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 @mstipton There would certainly be a lot fewer Texans. But you know in 1932 the Nazi's began employing a similar plan on the Jews, the Gypsy's, the handicapped, East Europeans, Russians and assorted other undesirables. History has not been kind to the Nazis.
If it happened in the workplace, they wouldn't be using cute words like "spank" and "swat". It'd be assault.
It is none of my business what Texas does to it's minor children, but I have to add my two cents worth regarding male staff spanking minor females. There is something sinister about that practice and borders on S&M for the male administrator. I mean what if the male administrator is a closet pedophile? There would be no way to tell if he were getting his jollies spanking teenage girls. The Texas Board of Education has erred in my opinion.
 @left-center Women can enjoy dominating other women as well. It's not limited to males.
"parents also can request one spanking per semester." For no reason? Just a general request to hit my child at some time, preferably in the spring.
@therunner Got a feeling they left out the word "maximum" in there.
 @therunner Think of it as a pre-emptive reminder for general purposes.
 @therunner Same here, LMAO
@therunner lol! That's what I thought too! Wth?!?!
Corporal Punishmen sounds good, but as someone who lived in Texas, and grew up with it in the schools, I can tell you that far too many principles, teachers, and coaches just got off on on spanking the kids. Â
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And honestly, It didn't do anygood at the end of the day. Many kids would take bets to see who could get the most spankings or get spanked by the most teachers/principles/coaches etc...
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Want a solution? Start spanking the parents when the kids are bad. Or just fine the crap out of the parents.
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@Star Shooter Expel them. If a kid does something bad enough that it warrants being hit with an object by another person, then the other kids at school don't deserve to have that child in class with them causing a distraction. If the kid has severe enough behavioral problems, then they should be mandated to counseling or behavioral management classes such as anger management. Spanking doens't fix the problem, it only makes these kids feel more out of control, rather than empowering them with the necessary tools to succeed. JMHO
 @NWMonster The problem with expelling them is that you end up with a kid who is out on the streets during the day, probably getting into trouble who is going to most likely enter the correction system.
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But I do agree with behavioal managment and anger management classes. I am also a fan of a more structured military type of educational environment for real problem kids.Â
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 @Star Shooter  @NWMonster "The problem with expelling them is that you end up with a kid who is out on the streets during the day, probably getting into trouble who is going to most likely enter the correction system."
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WTH kinda of parent are you? if my child was expelled from school I hardly think she would be out running the streets during the day while the wife and I are at work. She would be under house-arrest far longer than her school suspension.
 @Star Shooter I was thinking about this on the morning ride into work. My University admissions counselor breached the subject of starting a teaching career. I can just see the kids' faces when they are all forced to use Sirs, Ma'am, standup behind their desk until class starts, etc in my classroom. I probably wouldn't be a teacher for very long. Kids do not take kindly to forced respect, discipline, decorum, and rules.