A Missouri school district is offering spanking as a punishment for students this school year โ but only if their parents sign up to the policy. Earlier this week, parents of students attending classes in the Cassville R-IV School District were notified that the school board had taken on a policy in June that allows the "use of physical force as a method of correcting student behavior," The Washington Post reported. Per the policy, corporal punishment utilizing a wooden paddle on a student's butt is permitted, but only as a last resort "when all other alternative means of discipline have failed.
The disciplinary measure, the policy adds, should be done "in reasonable form and upon the recommendation of the principal," and "never be inflicted in the presence of other students. The Cassville R-IV School District's new policy also states that the use of corporal punishment should only be given by "certified personnel" while they are "in the presence of a witness who is also an employee of the district. A teacher or principal must also send a report to the school district's superintendent explaining the reasons why the punishment has been employed.
These allow parents to either opt in or out of the punishment for their child. Johnson told the outlet that some parents have long requested corporal punishment be allowed within the district, which belongs to a "very traditional community in southwest Missouri. After the policy was put in place, Johnson told the Springfield News-Leader , "We've had people actually thank us for it.
Yet the response hasn't been completely positive. While one Twitter user urged teachers in the school district to "make sure those kids are never touched by a paddle", another said simply , "You can do better. The U. Supreme Court ruled in that corporal punishment within schools was constitutional and left the decision to allow it in the hands of each state, USA Today reported.
Missouri, the outlet said, is one of the 19 states where corporal punishment is still allowed. Most of the other 18 states are nearby in the south. That is not the reason that we would want to do this," Johnson told the Springfield News-Leader. He also noted that only one or two swings are allowed to be used for younger students, while up to three can be utilized for older ones.
