Here's the link:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/cont...

We demand Abolishment of Corporal (Physical) Punishment (Paddling with weapons/wooden boards) of Children in Public Schools in the United States of America Immediately! In a report issued on August 20, 2008, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union cite U.S. Education Department statistics that find school personnel in the 2006-07 school year reported disciplining 223,190 students by hitting, spanking or similar means. Alice Farmer, the report's author, found that children are routinely paddled for "minor infractions" such as chewing gum or violating school dress codes. "It's just fundamentally ineffective in terms of improving school discipline," she says. "It doesn't teach kids why what they did was wrong; it doesn’t show them better behavior. What it does is teach them to be violent."

Schools that purchase and possess weapons (wooden paddles) as government property with citizen tax dollars may be supporting the pornography industry. Educators who use weapons/paddles (wooden boards) to deliberately inflict physical pain and suffering on children intended to punish them are in Direct Conflict/Violation with Zero Tolerance of Weapons in School Policies.

Government Sanctioned, Legalized Child Abuse in Schools is a Childrens’ Civil Rights Violation, NOT a local issue to be governed by local school districts. ALL American children must be ensured EQUAL Civil Rights treatment and Equal Educational Access to safe, healthy and supportive learning environments in ALL American Schools as provided for by citizen tax dollars.

The Cost to Eliminate Educators’ right to assault and batter schoolchildren is $0.

School faculty members are required by law to report suspected child abuse, yet they are allowed, by law, to inflict physical punishment on school children with legal impunity! Physical punishment of children in American Public Schools is a Disgrace to the Noble Profession of Teaching!

29 Legislatures, over half of the states in the U.S., have abolished Corporal Punishment of Children in Schools. Ohio’s Governor Ted Strickland has proposed a ban on school paddling tied to education funding, if approved, Ohio will be the 30th state to ban this unacceptable practice. No Economic Stimulus Funding or other federal funding should go to states that allow paddling in schools.

Sadly, cases of excessive force under investigation are testament to the lack of responsibility our government takes regarding safety of children in schools. Currently in Decatur, GA at Potter Street Elementary School, a 9-year-old boy suffered deep bruising from being PADDLED BY THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 3 TIMES IN ONE DAY and the THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR HUNDREDS OF CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AT SCHOOLS DURING THE LAST 5 YEARS!

There is NO JUSTIFICATION TO HIT ANY CHILD, EVER!

Maybe the decline of corporal punishment is why parents have lost control of their children at home much less teachers in schools. I got my licks in school when I broke the rules and I knew when I got home mom and dad would add a few more. Believe me when I say that paddle made me think twice before doing something wrong and kept my acting up far below what it would have been if I knew all I faced was detention or suspension. With so many parents both working to pay the bills a suspension is a vacation to some students. Whatever happened to "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child"? The most rude and disobedient children I know come from worshipers of the "Dr. Spock" method of child rearing. Maybe if we re-instituted paddling for minor offenses we would have fewer children criminals assaulting educators and stabbing other students?
Oh yes I too managed to get multiple paddlings in the course of a day; the principle knew me by name. I was a very rambunctious child. I can honestly say that if not for that paddle I would never have gotten any education at all.

Don't forget that 29 states in the U.S. have laws that make it ILLEGAL to Physically Punish Schoolchildren! Animals are protected from abuse in our country by law, why not kids in schools?

Sorry I missed the part where I said to abuse children. Comparing a thinking, reasoning human to a dumb animal is ludicrous. Properly applied corporal punishment is not abuse; it is discipline. Anyone who confuses the two and abuses children are rightly tried for child abuse. Set a guideline with strict rules governing the types of behaviour that will not be tolerated and their consequences for ignoring those warnings and then it is tactic approval if the student violates that code of conduct that they are willing to accept the proscribed punishment. How is that abuse? I call it reaping what you sow.

I remember back in the day I 'reaped' what I sowed and got several hits with the wooden ruler across my knuckles for my poor handwriting with my lefthand.

It did not change my lefthandedness. I was a pretty precocious kid too, paddling me never changed that either.

I remember the kids that got paddled were always the same ones that got paddled. It didn't seem to change their behavior at the time either. It was always the same ones doing the same thing...either out of defiance or defeatism, I don't know which.

I would say the paddling on my backsides not only made me think twice before doing domething nut it also acted as adeterrent to others in class as well. I base this upon the current lawlessness we see and hear about in classrooms today. I am willing to bet that anyone reading this blog that you would not recognize a modern classroom of an inner city school. It more resembles a prison classroom than what we attended as children and the main thing that has changed is that inner city school systems were the first to move away from paddling.

Actually lee, I would beg to differ. If you want to speak to lawlessness and dilapidation...turn your eyes north to connecticut. Hartford city schools was a gang infested, 'lawless', poorly achieving school system. They couldn't keep good teachers either. What they did was brought in an innovative leadership which turned the school system around and paddling was not part of the equation. I 'think' their grad rate is almost 100% and their student achievement has increased dramatically. And no 'lawlessness' in the school system either. They had it, they fixed it. This tells me that no matter how poor and 'inner city' things are, spending more money doesn't fix it, paddling doesn't fix it, but innovation certainly does.

There was a movie, I don't recall the name off hand , but it too dealt with "innovative leadership solutions". They too improved scores and behavior but they did it through expulsion of those troubled youths. Please tell me this isn't the city system that movie was based on.

I have no idea leesroom. I am speaking of Hartford, CT and I don't know what movie you are referencing.