What is up in Georgia?

I have not seen it but I understand there are 19 states that still allow corporal punishment. Here is a map of TX. The areas in read are districts that allow coporal punishment.

It's legal in Alabama, but I remember a college professor 30 years ago saying it may be legal but you are likely to be sued should you practice it!

There has been times it has crossed my mind and I've wanted to use corporal punishment, but there is NO WAY I ever would!

AWFUL, WRONG, NEVER, NO WAY!!!!!

It's legal in my state, but parents have the right to "opt out" at the beginning of each school year - at least that was the case when I was in school 20+ years ago (nearly no parents did opt out back then, but I'm sure it's more common now).

We are stationed in Georgia right now, I have a rising kindergartener. The school that she is assigned to allows corporal punishment, yes I signed a waver that said NO. However, I am very uncomfortable sending her to this school so we are paying for her to go to private school.

I'm sorry but I must comment and go ahead and flame away at me. I agree with it! When I was a kid, we knew if we did something to deserve "swats" that we would get it. That thought really made us behave! The kids today don't have that consequence to keep them in line. That's why we have so many issues with kids misbehaving! You couldn't pay me to be a teacher today with the way kids behave and disrespect them.

Hey, kids, we don't allow bullying here. Unless we think that we, the adults, need to hit you to get you to comply. Then it's ok, but it's not really bullying because it's adults doing it to children, so it's somehow different. But don't ever think of hitting someone yourself because that's wrong! And it will just get you hit by us.

Sure. Makes sense. Sounds logical.

I don't support it, and it's not used in my district ... but I have to tell you, there are a lot of kids in my school who aren't deterred by anything we can do to them. Detention? Don't show up. In school suspension? Free break from class. Out of school suspension? Vacation! Alternative school is reserved for very specific behaviors so that's not on the table for the kid who just disrupts your class on a daily basis.

We have positive behavior supports in place and those are always the first thing we do, after, of course, making sure lessons are engaging and appropriate. But for the 7th and 8th graders who spend their time in my class talking, not participating, walking around the room and yelling across the room at each other, and aren't deterred by anything we can do to them ... I'll take the flames and say I wouldn't be upset at all if someone took a paddle to them.

Me either and I have lived here for 5 years.

Aside from the talk of paddling being allowed--WTH with the mother sitting there filming while her child is begging and crying?

I find a problem with her--seems she is just intent on getting a viral video instead of getting involved as a parent.

Several different issues in this story for me.

I've lived in Georgia all my life and had no clue it was still practiced here. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of those instances happened outside metro Atlanta where I live. Also, I homeschooled so that probably plays into why I didn't know it was going on.

I don't agree with it but there is definitely something going on with this family. The boy has missed 17 days of school this year and she was jailed for his truancy. There's also video of him flipping off the camera. Instead of paddling him they need to get her some help learning how to parent.

as I posted earlier, it's legal in my state and in my school district but we opt out. I remember being caned at school as a child (living overseas - and we moved to the States when I was almost 10 so I was younger than that). I don't remember it having a positive impact on my behaviour - I merely thought that the headmaster was mean and unfair but it also gave me bragging rights amongst my peers, it was almost a badge of honour to have been caned. Probably not what the punishment was intended to do.

My oldest went to elementary school in districts that don't use corporal punishment - it would NOT have had the desired effect on him - he wasn't a kid who grasped cause and effect so he wouldn't have made the connection between his behaviour and the paddling. On the other hand, none of the punishments he DID receive at school (which included suspension as a 2nd grader) had the desired effect either. We ended up homeschooling 4-6th grade.

My middle child went to 3rd-5th grade at the elementary school my youngest is currently at. They use a coloured card system for behaviour and blue is the 'good behaviour' colour. Her card never moved off blue in THREE years at that school. My youngest is in 3rd grade and has also never been off blue in almost FOUR years. They are rules followers. Corporal punishment or not (they know we sign NO for it) they're not going to get in trouble at school. My youngest, however, was very worried as a K/1st grader that some of her classmates might get paddled if they didn't shape up - I'm not sure that's the intent of corporal punishment either.

I don't agree with it - my view is that if my child is behaving THAT badly then I'll deal with them at home. I don't think schools should have that right - especially since it seems to be limited to K-5th in my experience. On the other hand, there are certainly some PARENTS who might benefit from a good paddling....

I'm in Texas. It's till legal here. I have a huge problem with it. It was a small factor in my decision to homeschool.


My grandpa was a junior high and high school principal in the 80s and 90s. He still has the belt that hung in his office that he paddled kids with hanging in his garage.