Paddling Crime

Hannah Spence

Professor Smith

English 101

4 February 2013

The Crime of Paddling

Paddling: a form of punishment carried out with a wooden paddle and commonly used on schoolchildren to reinforce correct behavior. With 19 states still implementing the paddle, angry parents and also prosecutors are in an uproar due to the controversial issue. Some parents say it is a form of child abuse while others believe paddling is the old-school way of discipline. By viewing the pros and cons of this corporal punishment in the school system, parents can better justify his or her opinion by using outside resources. Paddling children in schools is not a form of abuse, it s an excellent disciplinary action, and also eliminates unwanted behavior.

Parents against the idea of keeping corporal punishment in schools have now agreed that paddling is in fact a form of child abuse. Organizations, such as The National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment, have stated, “that United States is one of only four countries that has not banned corporal punishment in schools” (Events. par. 7). One Florida mother has taken action against school systems and has raised awareness against the punishment. Her son was misbehaving and therefore received a paddling to correct his behavior. Several issues occurred after, “her son had welts on his buttocks, missed a week of school and still has nightmares about the incident” (De Neis. par. 4). Any concerned parent would have the same reaction if his or her child was covered in bruises, but this does not excuse the child’s misbehavior. If a student is not following the code of conduct, then an administrator has the authority to discipline the child even if that means using a paddle....