*Thank you* Erin! I was just getting ready to call my Mom, who's a paralegal, and have her draft me a letter for school! Arrghhh, I am mad I never checked this out before. I had NO idea it was still legal in so many places, though I did know it was still legal in the more southern states, and from polls I saw, they supported it for the most part. Grrrrr. Oregon does not allow it........thank goodness.
__________________ "Custom will reconcile people to any atrocity."
George Bernard Shaw
Originally posted by amity danica and anyone else who has corporal punishment in their school handbooks (if it is allowed in your state, i am begging you to find out if your district approves of this), you need to find out when your next school board *work session* is by calling your superintendents office. don't bother going to a meeting unless you have to- this is mostly formalized voting on topics that were already discussed in the work session.
one week before the work session, you should write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining that corporal punishment is allowed in your district, along with facts and information from some of the great sites listed above. then let everyone know that you will be going to the school board work session and the time and date.
you could even go as far as copying off information from the websites, and then passing them out to each of the board members, or better yet sending them to the school district before the meeting so they will have time to look the information over....
this is also something that should be taken up with your local state representitive- if i find a site that shows your local rep, i will post it later.
this is something that you really can fight.
blessings,
amity
ITA w/ Amity here... but unfortunately I have been fighting this since Seamus began school and I feel as if I'm fighting a losing battle. Where we live, the attitude we've encountered from fellow parents has ranged from total apathy to one of "my child would never do anything to require a paddling and any child who does gets what they deserve" to "well, our principal doesn't believe in it, so I don't have to worry". What the latter don't seem to realize is that the state law specifically allows the use of corp. pun. and it leaves the decision of whether to use it up to the individual districts. Many districts leave that decision up to the individual schools. So, the policy can vary greatly from school to school and from year to year in the event of an administration change. This law needs to be changed on a state wide level... something which I have been petioning my state reps for years, but does not seem to be a popular stance here in this state. I for one, remember growing up in NY when it was still legal in schools and although I was never subjected to it, I remember the horror of seeing fellow students paddled in class. It's something I don't wish on any child.
We had a case make the local news here last year.... in a neighboring city a middle school boy was paddled so badly by the principal that he was left badly bruised. His mom took him to the hospital, had the injuries photographed, and filed charges with the police... the d.a.'s office decided against following through and the principal was "disciplined" internally by the district.
Sorry to be so long, but this is a *very* hot topic with me.
I am always defending schools and teachers but this is totally indefensable (undefensable?? sorry I failed spelling).
I am glad it is illegal in California. I am so shocked and saddened. I didn't even know this was up for debate.
I agree you should CC a lawyer as well as your local news and national news managers. I can point you where to go and who to talk to regarding the media. this is a total outrage.
Teachers and public schools have enough of a PR problem without beating children.
Megan
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~Meg~ teacher, podcaster, but mostly sahm to my trio of little women (4, 6, 16)wife to Mr Big and dog-ma to Indy the crazy miniature golden retriever
Here are some more statistics on corporal punishment in schools. Mississippi is apparently the worst state in terms of corporal punishment. Statistics report that approximately 10.1% of the students are struck by educators... appalling.
FYI, I live in KY where corporal punishment IS legal....
BUT in the Jessamine County school district Code of Conduct (for parents, students and employees) it states that:
(copied from the 2002-2003 Jessamine County Schools Code of Conduct book that every parent is REQUIRED to read, then sign and date the back portion)
"Corporal Punishment is defined as the deliberate infliction of physical pain by any means upon the whole or any part of a student's body as a penalty or punishment for student misbehavior. No person within this school district shall inflict or cause to be infliced corpunishment or bodily pain upon a pupil attending any Jessamine County School; provided however, that any such person may, within the scope of his employment, use and apply such amounts of physical restraint as may be reasonable and necessary to protect oneself, the pupil or others from physical injury, to obtain possession of a weapon or other dangerous objects within the control of the pupil, or to protect property from harm."
My dh is 27 and HE was spanked/paddled in school. ICK!
Where the states stand on corporal punishment: Alabama--Legal
Alaska--Illegal
Arizona--Legal
Arkansas--Legal
California--Illegal
Colorado--Legal
Connecticut--Illegal
Delaware--Legal
District of Columbia--N/A
Florida--Legal
Georgia--Legal
Hawaii--Illegal
Idaho--Legal
Illinois--Illegal
Indiana--Legal
Iowa--Illegal
Kansas--Legal
Kentucky--Legal
Louisiana--Legal
Maine--Illegal
Maryland--Illegal
Massachusetts--Illegal
Michigan--Illegal
Minnesota--Illegal
Mississippi--Legal
Missouri--Legal Montana--Illegal
Nebraska--Illegal
Nevada--Illegal
New Hampshire--Illegal
New Jersey--Illegal
New Mexico--Legal
New York--Illegal
North Carolina--Legal
North Dakota--Illegal
Ohio--Legal
Oklahoma--Legal
Oregon--Illegal
Pennsylvania--Legal
Rhode Island--Restricted*
South Carolina--Legal
South Dakota--Illegal
Tennessee--Legal
Texas--Legal
Utah--Illegal
Vermont--Illegal
Virginia--Illegal
Washington--Illegal
West Virginia--Illegal
Wisconsin--Illegal
Wyoming--Legal
* banned by every school board in the state
Originally posted by sowest Where we live, the attitude we've encountered from fellow parents has ranged from total apathy to one of "my child would never do anything to require a paddling and any child who does gets what they deserve" to "well, our principal doesn't believe in it, so I don't have to worry".
total apathy seems to be the dominant attitude about it here. we frequently see other kids getting spanked outside. we do not tell anyone we don't spank but the few times it has come up we get that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
a good whipping, the old school, spare the rod...these are phrases we hear a lot here.
ugh! fine...i know we are the odd balls here but i didn't think the schools would do this. and to me it doesn't matter that it may not actually be done often...it bothers me that it is even an option. that in itself sends a message of violence.
Thar's awful, Danica. I think your first letter is the best one. Sad that it has to be that way, though. And of course there's always the fear that they will take it out on your kiddo if you dare confront them in a way they don't like.
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Candace: Mama to Mollusc, Sluggie, Fishy, and the homebirthed Prawn!
P0F4X0
It's something I don't wish on any child.
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