I live in Texas. Here, public schools have reserved the right to spank students (with parental consent). In the beginning of the school year parents are (supposedly) given the opportunity to sign a refusal form. If they don't, parental consent is assumed, and corporal punishment is allowable. I didn't know until I read the story that sparked this blog that the school administrator (or whoever is the one actually doling out the punishment) has to be the same sex as the student. Is that a local or a state-wide policy? I'm not sure. But either way, a male administrator is who spanked the high school-aged girl (seen in the picture above) in this story.
She volunteered for the spanking. She chose the paddle over her other option, two days of in-school suspension. What did she do that got her into all this mess to begin with? She let someone copy her answers, she participated in cheating.
The spanking, done with a paddle, left markings that resembled burns and blisters. When she got home, her mother took pictures because the injury seemed so out of line. It isn't the first time that this administrator has left visible markings. Another student was recently left with bruises from the paddling she received at school from him.
What would you do if you if you were the mother of either of these girls? Are you generally OK with spanking in school, and this is just a case of it going too far?
What I know? If I left blisters, burns, or bruises on my child, CPS would be called. And I would possibly (probably?) go to jail for abuse.
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Comments (51)
I think spanking is something that only parents should do, and its something that shouldn't leave long turn welts, bruises, or blisters.
At the same time, the girl chose to get paddled. She had options. I don't see a problem because of that.
I disagree with anyone spanking a child that's not the parent or guardian. Ok, I get she chose the option & it's still legal where she is but for a man to do it? I call it sick. He knew that part of the law, did it anyway & went overboard. If he left blisters & burns, that's abuse. What the hell was that paddle made of?!
After reading the full article on this through the link, I think its complete BS that they are making such a big deal about it being a male. That 96 pound girl comment is ridiculous. Boys and girls should be treated the same way, so if a boy gets spanked by a man, the girl should be subjected to the same thing. A buttocks is a buttocks. Also, why do we always have to make everything sexual ALL THE TIME???
@wildchildofthebluemoon@xanga - With the girl who had bruises left (not the one in the picture above) she was in a room with a male police office and a male school administrator.
That is why I think gender matters. Besides which, it is the law where they are.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - And unless she makes a complaint that something other than paddling happened, who cares? He is a police officer who is supposed to uphold the law, and he is an administrator that is supposed to have integrity. Who said that women can't sodomize other women??
@wildchildofthebluemoon@xanga - I agree that sexual abuse can happen regardless of the dynamic - male/female, female/female, whatever. My husband is in law enforcement, he is in the Coast Guard which is homeland security. There are rules, whether you think they are fair or not, regarding male/female interaction and touching. As a male law enforcement officer, he is not allowed to spank a female. It's a legal thing. You can take it up with the courts, but that is the existing law. And the officer knew it. Even if the school administrator "did not."
My High school had the policy that aloud spanking though it was always for major problems and they were always given a choice between spanking and something else.
Cheating is a major problem, it is more or less stealing someone else's ideas. Copy right problems and such. I'd rather get a spanking than sued for 5 million dollars.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - That part is kind of weird, whenever I have witnessed police issues with young girls, the police either go out of their way to make sure the officer is visible while questioning the girl or get a female advocate/officer!
That being said, God help the person that leaves bruises or welts on any child of mine, consent to spank, or no consent.
I had no idea corporal punishment was still legal in schools in so many states! Or that it is thought to be effective with high school students- that makes no sense to me. Weird!
I didn't even know corporal punishment was still legal in any school, and maybe that's just because it's not an issue here in UT. I was floored when I read this, completely floored. Now that I've gotten over the initial shock, this is what I think: If I were the mother of either of these girls, I would be furious. I would seek legal help ASAP. It's child abuse plain and simple to leave a mark on a child. I honestly think it's ludicrous for this form of punishment to be legal in school. Nobody should be spanking a child except for their own parents! What is the point of having other forms of punishment such as detention if the student can opt for a swift blow to the behind instead? The girl in the picture was caught cheating, right? Wouldn't a loss of credit be a more appropriate punishment for someone her age? I think so....
We live in tricky times. I remember being 'spanked' by the principal back in Elementary, if you could call it that. He was sucha terrible shot with his ruler he missed me each time but I'd howl like I was being skinned alive. *Grin*
Today ? I would think schools need to be VERY careful of anyone spanking a child of any age, and instead reserve that discipline to be administered by the legal parents. Φ ≡
Since when do teachers have the right to spank any child? I dont care HOW bad said child is! LET ALONE LEAVE BRUISING!!!!!!!!! Its not up the school to discipline a child in that manner. Let the parents deal with them.
Seriously???? Spanking is allowed in Texas?!!!
What the fuck is with "parental consent is implied unless otherwise stated explicitely?" What if the parent never got the notice? What if the parent couldn't read English? That parent would be putting her child in harm's way without knowing it!!
This law needs to be repealed... pronto! I hope this brave mother is the one to do it.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - "As a male law enforcement officer he is not allowed to spank a female."
Um.... has that issue arisen a lot in the Coast Guard? Outside of porn, I mean...
@phoebester@xanga - LOL! Not that I know of...then again...morale in the Coast Guard is much higher than in other military branches.
@wildchildofthebluemoon@xanga - "Who said that women can't sodomize other women?"
Well, we can... but we don't. The incidence of that happening is practically nil, while the incidence of a male forcibly raping a woman is far, far higher. Leaving a subordinate girl, in this case a high school student, alone with two men who abuse various parts of her body is an extremely serious offense. She is, after all, too young to give sexual consent so why should she be trusted to make the decision involving this odd BDSM scenario?
Look at it this way.... would you rather leave your child alone with a pencil or a shotgun? Children can, technically, kill themselves with a pencil (ever see "The Dark Knight?") and also it's possible for a child to play with a loaded shotgun without killing himself.... but still, it's better to leave a child alone with a pencil than a shotgun. And it is better to leave a girl to get physically punished by a female authority figure than a male authority figure.
I definitely don't think spanking is a statewide policy. I grew up in Houston and certainly don't remember ever having my parent sign anything like that. So it might be a city thing?
@sarahsmurfette@xanga -
@xiaosnowtenshi@xanga - The spanking is allowed statewide, it's in the state's legislation. The policy I was unsure of was whether or not it was implicitly defined that a same sex administrator had to be the one doing the spanking. The form is only if a parent wishes to exempt their child from this practice. Otherwise, it's an option and only up to the school if your child gets spanked.
@phoebester@xanga - Its only sexual "BDSM" because we choose to see it that way. Its actually just a form of punishment, without sexual intention. And it should be standard across males and females, so if men can't spank women, they shouldn't be allowed to spank men either.
This is sick.
I'll put it simply: I'm a Dominant woman who knows spanking VERY well. I also hope to become a mother someday. I personally would not, by ANY means ever cause physical pain to my children and I would press charges against anyone who caused physical harm to my children (especially in a way that can easily be sexualized).
Many men AND women love spanking. It's an endorphin rush, a turn on; and secondary to bondage is the most common form of BDSM play brought into the bedroom for even so-called "vanilla couples". Do all men and women get a rush out of this? Absolutely not. However, how are we to see into the administrators mind to know if they're getting a jolly over being in control? The only way we can prevent that event from happening without reading people's minds and motives is to not spank children in school.
The other issue I have with this is that as a fairly experienced Dominant, there's this little thing I discuss before spanking a partner. It's called consent. This is where the "spankee", so to speak, discusses personal limitations so that I don't cause physical and/or psychological damage beyond what they've requested. I've also been trained in the knowledge of where to hit, how hard, and most importantly, where NOT to hit. This is (hopefully) not the context these school day punishers are acting within, but it leads me to my next point.
Not only were marks and welts left, but the administration used a paddle? I'm going to take a guess and say that this is a common wooden paddle. It has no give to it. With the strength it takes behind a paddle to leave marks and welts (especially through clothing, I dearly hope), all it takes is one mis-hit to a students tailbone and their spine can be severely damaged. Even children should have the right to decide that they should not be put at risk of injury, regardless of what their parents have to say.
So, here's what we're left with: a leather paddle, and/or hand would be far too sexualized to punish school children with. Are we going to have their teachers take a course in BDSM to learn how to use a wooden paddle correctly to be sure they only "hurt" and do not injure these children? Somehow, I just can't see how ANY of the above options make this any less sick.
I will hold nothing back on my opinion here: If you are to punish a child in a physical way, leave it at physical labor. Assign them to community service on their lovely Saturday off if need be. Corporal punishment to children will do NOTHING to help them learn the right way, by any hand. It will correct behavior in some, but also makes them listen out of FEAR- not out of learning WHY the right thing to do is the right thing to do.
If you want to spank your own children, do so; but also read up on the difference between Authoritarian and Authoritative parenting types, and see which parents see better results out of how they teach their children. All spanking is, is a lazy method of punishment for parents (and apparently teachers) who either don't have, or choose not to have the mental capacity to hold back their anger and TEACH a child right from wrong. If it's not out of laziness, then I'll attribute it to not realizing that you can think out of the box and find creative and even fun ways to teach a child right and wrong- which is something that can be learned, if you take the time.
I don't believe a light spanking can seriously harm a child in any way, but I don't believe it will help them learn the right way either. Coming from an old fashioned Italian family, I was spanked growing up myself. My mother wasn't lazy, but did what she did because of how she was raised. The spankings stopped by the time I was 7 years old, and as I grew up, we got to know each other better, and my mom got to learn how my mind worked, and how I worked. By high school, I was never punished in ANY way. I stopped learning out of fear of being spanked, and started learning right from wrong. This was how I became a child who got the best grades I was capable of, who never got a detention, and who always told my mother where I was and who with, and came home safe to talk her ear off about my day. What mother doesn't want that from her child?
I think both parents and children learn as they go along. If you're going to continue spanking your children as you learn, I won't fault you for it; but I truly hope that these parents realize that allowing THIS type of discipline to be given by any other hand (or paddle) of their own is not only lazy and unethical, but can literally be DANGEROUS. Keep your children safe, and for goodness sake, do NOT let their teachers spank them.
@vixen_with_a_cause@xanga - What a well-thought out comment. Thank you. (Even though I'm not of the strictly no-spanking ever, even by a parent, crowd.)
Sounds like someone needed a soap box...
STFU and know where you are.
fucking clown shoe bullshit...
This girl is a moron...