March 18, 2012 by David K. Sutton
19 States Still Permit Spanking Children In Public Schools
NPR reports that 19 states still allow spanking (paddling) in public schools. This might come as a shock to many in the North, but in the South and Mountain West, the idea of paddling children when they misbehave is “tradition”.
Bud Glover, a parent, says, “I got my butt beat and I know what’s right and wrong. And my children are going to know what’s right and wrong.” No sir, apparently you don’t know what’s right and wrong if you think hitting children in school is acceptable. Glover continues, “I think the problem with society is we quit paddling.” I think the problem is that we have not fully evolved past faulty traditions from the past, including an act that should have no place in our public schools in 2012.
Paddling is a common practice at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, FL. where students are asked to craft the paddles in wood-shop.
NPR – Spanking Lives On In Rural Florida Schools
“I been getting them since about first grade,” says Lucas Mixon, now a junior at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla. “It’s just regular. They tell you to put your hands up on the desk and how many swats you’re going to get.”
The paddle at Holmes County High School looks like a short rowboat paddle. It’s about 16 inches long, 5 inches wide and a 1/2 inch thick. You can’t buy it at a store, so Holmes County High asks wood-shop students to make it for them.
The NPR article says, “Schools are the only public institution where hitting is allowed. It’s not allowed in prisons, hospitals, mental institutions or the military.”
dks
