Discipline With A Paddle Could Happen In 2022? In Cassville Missouri Schools, Yes!

This may be a personal question, but I will ask it anyway. 

Were any of you ever spanked as a child? Were your parents?  How about in school?  Did any of you ever have a grandparent who "got the paddle" when they misbehaved?  Well, this old school form of discipline could happen this school year in Cassville Missouri.

The Cassville School District is bringing back corporal punishment for students. Under the new policy, students could be punished with a paddle. Administrators say it would be the last resort for parents and faculty members if other means of discipline do not work.

There was a survey sent out to the parents of the students in the district last year and one of the biggest issues that the parents were concerned with was discipline.  You can read more about this story HERE.

Get our free mobile app

It sounds like this situation will be a last resort kind of thing.  Obviously some parents are OK with this, and some of them are not.  I know that some families to not believe in corporal punishment at all. Some feel that in extreme situations, it may be warranted.  In my limited experience in the school system as a substitute teacher, I have seen situations where, candidly, a student deserved this kind of punishment.  Kids nowadays seem empowered to be more defiant when it comes to authority figures such as teachers, parents, law enforcement, etc.

Growing up in my youth, if you acted up, you could get a slap on your bottom, or the back of your head.  The bus drivers can't really do anything to make the kids stop misbehaving, because someone would call the police and threaten to sue over the most insignificant thing.  The students aren't held responsible for their actions.  I will be interested to see how this pans out, and how often this last resort is used.

What side of the aisle do you fall on with this situation? For the record, parents can also opt-in or opt-out at any point in the school year.   If the principal punishes a child this way it will be done by administrators only and only in the presence of another certified employee.   We shall see how it goes.