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The Rogersville Review, Tennessee, 10 October 2018

BOE votes to ban corporal punishment in schools

(extract)

By Bill Jones
Staff Writer

ROGERSVILLE -- The Hawkins Co. Board of Education, during itsThursday, Oct. 4, meeting, voted to adopt a new policy that banscorporal punishment (spanking) in county schools.

The board's action came after it heard a report by Beth Holtabout the issue. The BOE had tabled the proposed policy duringits September meeting and asked that principals be surveyed todetermine if there is a consensus of opinion among themconcerning the effectiveness of corporal punishment.

During her Thursday evening report to the BOE, Holt said shehad heard from all 18 school principals, plus the PathwaysAlternative School. In essence, she said, none of the principalssaid corporal punishment is currently being used at their schools.

Some corporal punishment survey respondents indicated thatthey didn't think it was effective, while others thought it couldbe effective for certain students, she indicated to the BOE. Butno principals said they were going to use it.

"I never heard anyone say 'I'm going to do it (usecorporal punishment)'," Holt told the BOE.

She also noted that there could be legal consequences forschool staff in the event they do use corporal punishment onstudents whose parents subsequently object. In addition, Holtsaid, that while opinion is divided on the issue, "mostprincipals said they didn't feel comfortable doing it" (usingcorporal punishment).

BOE Chairman Bob Larkins said the board recognizes thatclassroom discipline is essential, but noted that many authoriesindicate that corporal punishment is ineffective. The questionbefore the board, he said, was whether corporal punishment shouldremain in school system policy even though it apparently is notbeing used by principals and teachers.

BOE member Holly Helton then made a motion that the boardadopt proposed new policy 6.314.

"Are we just going to ban corporal punishment?"Chairman Larkins asked.

"I think banning it is in the best interest (ofeveryone)," Vice Chairman Debbie Shedden said.

When BOE member Kathy Cradic asked for clarification as toexactly what the motion before the BOE entailed, Helton readaloud the statement that reads, 'corporal punishment shall not beused in any school'.

BOE members Jackie Charles, Helton, Shedden, Larkins andCradic all voted in favor of adopting the new policy.

As a result of the vote, the Hawkins Co. School System hasjoined nine other area systems that do not use corporal punishment.

Six other area systems, including the Greene and WashingtonCounty systems, do allow corporal punishment to be used.
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WUNC-FM (North Carolina Public Radio), Chapel Hill, NC, 18 October 2018

Graham County Schools End Corporal Punishment

By Will Michaels

The paddle Robbinsville High School principals have used to discipline students.
Credit Jess Clark / WUNC

The last school district that practiced corporal punishment inNorth Carolina has voted to ban it.

Board members voted unanimously to end paddling on October 2,the day of their most recent meeting, according to Graham CountySchools Superintendent Angie Knight. The move effectively bansthe practice across the state.

"Corporal punishment will no longer be a disciplinaryaction in Graham County Schools," Knight said in an email.

Graham County Schools was the only district left that stillallowed paddling, after the board in Robeson County voted to endit in April. Graham County used corporal punishment 34 times inthe 2016-2017 school year.

State law allows paddling in public schools, defining it as"the intentional infliction of physcial pain upon the bodyof a student as a disciplinary measure," but leaves thedecision about whether or not to use it to local school boards.