Georgia School Decides To Reinstate Paddling As Punishment And Sparks Intense Debate

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Punishment can be a tricky topic to discuss among parents, as opinions on the matter can vary widely. Some parents are firm advocates of spanking a child as a means of DISCIPLINE, whereas others are just as passionate in their opposition to it.

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Paddling in schools is still legal in 19 states across America

A controversial disciplinary measure being implemented by a school in Hephzibah, Georgia is the topic of intense media focus & social media debate for this exact reason.

The Georgia School for Innovation and The Classics (GSIC) recently issued a letter to parents announcing it’s decision to reinstate a corporal punishment policy. GSIC, a K-9 charter school, introduced their plan for paddling a child based on the number of disciplinary offenses the child has committed, & provided specific instructions on both the method and instrument in which the paddling would be administered.

Yes, you read that right. The paddling. 

But don’t be too surprised, it’s still legal in 19 states across the country.

Just how is the paddling to be conducted? Well, according to the consent letter provided by the school, it is to take place as follows:

A student will be taken into 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.

For further clarification, here’s a screenshot of the actual details in the letter, featured in a video clip on news station WRDW’s website.

Parents were given the option to decline paddling

As mentioned, parents were given the option to decline the use of said corporal punishment for their child’s behavioral infractions, opting for a suspension of up to 5 days (depending on the offense).

According to school Superintendent Jody Boulineau, although the majority of GSIC parents chose not to grant consent for their child to be paddled, many expressed support for the policy. Boulineau offered the school’s justification for returning to corporal punishment by stating in an interview with WRDW that:

There was a time where corporal punishment was kind of the norm in school and you didn’t have the problems that you have.

It’s no surprise that such a controversial decision has drawn ire on social media, and the massive response to the paddling policy is no exception.

The topic of paddling was quickly trending on Twitter as people reacted passionately to the idea of corporal punishment.

VERY passionately.

 

Many people decried that the use of corporal punishment is physical assault on children, & urged people to reconsider the use of corporal punishment in schools (which is still legal in 19 states).

 

But others expressed support for the paddling policy:

The topic also generated debate even among commenters, whose opinions on what the definition of discipline is differ greatly.

The tweet exchange above clearly illustrates just why the decision of this Georgia school is so newsworthy. The method of discipline that a parent chooses is distinctly personal, so of course any school that attempts to adopt a method involving physical punishment will face severe scrutiny.

Should paddling be legal in the United States?

GSIC’s new policy raises a lot of challenging questions: is striking a child acceptable at all? Is it appropriate if parents spank their child as a means of discipline? Is it acceptable if a school also chooses to do so? What if the school has the permission of the parents?

While advocates for each side of the debate feel equally passionate about it, the bottom line is certain school districts still believe that historically, the use of corporate punishment within schools was a successful deterrent to further disciplinary issues.

So what do you think- do you agree with this school’s (and others like it) decision to apply “no more than three licks” of the paddle to their students? If you were a GSIC parent, would you grant consent to their new policy? Let us know in the comments!

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. Ummm….HELL NO! Regardless of what other people’s perceptions of how a parent should handle their child is, a SCHOOL HAS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY TO PHYSICALLY HARM A CHILD! They are there to teach and keep our children safe while they are there. If a kid is completely out of control then that child can not attend the school. That school does not have the right to determine what is appropriate in regards to punishment for that child’s behavior other than detention, suspension or expulsion. Why is it ok for a school administrator to physically punish a child when a parent can have that same child removed for “child abuse” for the same exact form of punishment?!

  2. I believe the reason that children are so unmanageable these days is because the children dictate what may and may not be done…not the adults. The parents are afraid to discipline at home, schools have been unable to discipline; therefore, society is raising spoiled, self-entitled creatures that show out whenever and wherever they deem it necessary to get their way.

    I fully support Jody Boulineau and the way he is standing up to support his staff and control the learning environment of GSIC! I personally know Jody and he loves children and he would be the first person to get involved if a child was being abused.

    I have ALWAYS given teachers permission to spank my children and my grandson, regardless of school policy! My children grew up with respect for their teachers and adults in general, and all 3 have grown up to have structured, professional, others centered careers…and guess what? All 3 survived their “spankings”!

  3. The USA has many of the world’s leading psychological, parenting and child development experts. Unfortunately it also has a whole lot of people that believe in hurting children. Listen to your experts, not your past.
    Never used physical punishment of any kind on my children and they are very well behaved. You don’t need it America. Stop using physical force to control kids.

  4. I’m for spanking, it doesn’t work for everyone, but It says “Spare the rod spoil the child!”
    True the parent should be the authority on HOW they raise their kids. However, most of today’s “parents” are nothing but children themselves and think a child will die from being PROPERLY disciplined for the RIGHT reasons… I’m sorry, but I’m happy I was spanked as a child! My children aren’t dead either!

    If more parents would stop being “friends” with their kids, and start REALLY parenting, it’s be nice and kids wouldn’t be so out of control.

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