Back to School: Got your Paddle?

With millions of our children back to school in full swing, one Georgia charter school is bringing back a controversial way of keeping those kids in line: paddling on their buttocks!

 

The school, which serves children in grades K through 9, distributed consent forms to all parents offering the option of paddling as a form of discipline. Parents were given the option to “opt-in” or “opt-out” after reading the form, which describes:

 

“The student will be taken to an office behind closed doors. The student will place their hands on their knees or piece of furniture and will be struck on the buttocks with a paddle.”

 

A naughty student gets three strikes before their teacher would resort to the physical punishment in this particular school.

 

Did you think corporal punishment was illegal in our country? It is actually a state by state decision, not a federal law.

 

31 states have banned corporal punishment, but these states still allow it: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

 

This is an issue that certainly divides us as a country. Many people believe that hitting our kids as discipline is an archaic. The science certainly seems to back them up.

A 2012 study published in The Journal of Pediatrics found that “harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, and several personality disorders.”

 

Then, there is the larger group of people who grew up being spanked or yanked as punishment and believe strongly that it is an effective tool that can not only help kids stay in line behaviorally, but contribute to their success as adults. The science behind this isn’t strong, but there is no shortage of parents with their own anecdotal evidence to support spanking.

 

In fact, one study shows over 80% of Americans believe it’s OK to hit your child with a hand. But now, it’s the schools who want a hand in that discipline.

 

This particular Georgia school offers parents the choice to opt in or out. What would you do?