ABUSE IN SCHOOLS IS OUT! A check list of abusive treatment of schoolchildren and advice to parents HTML version PDF version

All in the Name of the 'Last Resort': The Abuse of Children in American Schools, By Adah Maurer, Ph. D.

DARIA W., Age 11

When Daria exclaimed, "Something stinks in here," her teacher became annoyed and sent her to the office for a paddling. In her interview with Paula Flowe, Daria described how the principal placed a book on his desk and told her to put her hands on either side of it, and point her nose at the book. He warned her not to turn her head or he would hit her on the hand. Daria described how she felt with two big men -- the paddler and the witness -- standing in back of her with the office door closed. She said, "I felt like I could get raped." The paddling left Daria with bruises on her buttocks and severe pain in the lower back that lasted for several days. Daria was paddled on three other occasions during this school year -- once for tardiness and twice because she forgot to bring documents to school signed by her mother. See Daria's letter to Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Paddle & Shield, Tom Johnson's letter to the South Carolina Legislature, January 27, 2010

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report Finds Hundreds of Allegations of Abusive and Deadly Uses of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, May 19, 2009

CBS News report on corporal punishment in Chicago schools, February 11, 2009

Message to school board members in a district that allows paddling, By Jordan Riak, February 17, 2009

PADDLING STATES Where the beating of schoolchildren is practiced and condoned Top ten pupil-battering states in the U.S. Look at these batting averages. See who's in the Education Hall of Shame. 1997-98 School Year 1996-97 School Year

"...Schools are often perceived by parents as bearers of cultural norms concerning proper child rearing practices and discipline. Hence, when schools and other child care settings employ practices not conducive to optimal child development, e.g., corporal punishment and other demeaning and threatening, negative disciplinary measures, they convey a subtle message to parents, namely that such measures are appropriate, as they are sanctioned by education authorities and 'experts'..." From "Violence Against Children," by David G. Gill, Professor of Social Policy, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.

Title IX complaint alleges gender-based discrimination in TN paddling schools, October 14, 2009

ABUSE IN SCHOOLS: A letter to legislators in paddling states and to school board members in paddling districts In July of 2008, PTAVE began e-mailing this letter to legislators who sit on education committees in states that allow disciplinary beating of schoolchildren. (There are 21 such states in the U.S. as of July 2008) The e-mailing will continue until every such legislator has received the letter. Readers wishing to forward this page or copy and share its contents with others are invited to do so.   J.R.

Teachers out of their element , By Jordan Riak, April 14, 2009

Letter to Education Department Heads in Paddling States , May 27, 2008

NORTH CAROLINA - Disarming the paddlers

Spanking/Paddling and the Roots of Racism, PTAVE, July 2008

Advice to a student who asks: "How can we protect ourselves from corporal punishment at school?" September 2007

Twenty good reasons to stop a bad practice, By Jordan Riak

Correlation between high rates of corporal punishment in public schools and social pathologies

Forced exercise as punishment

Toxic schools of Texas By Jordan Riak, 2000

      

FOUR AMERICAN EDUCATORS WITH THEIR TOOLS OF THE TRADE
QUESTION: Who, other than schoolteachers, smacks people on the buttocks as part of their paid professional duties?
ANSWER: Click here.

A model letter to lawmakers, policymakers and others in positions of responsibility and influence in regions that permit corporal punishment of schoolchildren to

ARE PADDLING SCHOOLS SANCTUARIES FOR SEXUAL PREDATORS? A letter from PTAVE to education department heads in paddling states and their responses

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE TEACHERS?

SCHOOL UNIFORMS: Discipline of Abuse?

A DOCTOR'S BAD MEDICINE, By Patrick Briody, April 2007

TIME FOR A FEDERAL LAWSUIT OVER PADDLER PROTECTION ACTS? Letter to PTAVE from Jeff Charles, February 13, 2007

Still spanking?, By Adam McAlpin, The Student Printz — The University of Southern Mississippi, October 27, 2009 Putting away the paddle, Editorial, Toledo Blade, July 23, 2009 Silent Victims, www.ktnv.com, July 21 & July 22, 2009 Parents Outraged Over Teacher's Purportedly Excessive Discipline, Erik Runge, (News 4 WOAI), February 13, 2009 Headmaster has denied charges that he abused five female students, Chippa Legodimo, AllAfrica.com, February 11, 2009 Metro teacher suspended for taping child's mouth shut, By JAIME SARRIO, The Tennessean, February 11, 2009 Boy Comes Home With Bruises After School Paddling, Reporter: La'Tasha Givens, www.wctv.tv, February 11, 2009 Trust is on trial in abuse case By Tiffany Lankes, Herald-ribune.com, February 8, 2009 Paddling ban would hit home By COURTNEY ALBON,T-G Staff Writer, Ashland Times-Gazette.com, February 7, 2009 Punished student dies, teacher faces jail, BBC, December 25, 2008 The death of an 11-year-old pupil after being beaten by his teacher has thrown a light on the murky world of discipline in state schools, By Reem Leila, Al-Haram Weekly, November 12, 2008 Teachers Face Axe Over Corporal Punishment, By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe, New Vision (Kampala), November 12, 2008 Student Athletes Report Corporal Punishment (Video & text), CBS 2, Chicago, September 24, 2008 Bury the paddle -- Letter to The Fayetteville Observer, From Jordan Riak, September 4, 2008 Against Corporal Punishment --Letter to Sequoyah County Times, From Peggy Dean, September 2, 2008 Stop Physical Violence Against Children as a Form of Discipline in America's Public Schools, A Letter to President George W. Bush From George and Julie Worley, August 26, 2008 MULE DAYS: A letter to 60 Paddling Districts in NC, By Peggy Dean, August 6, 2008 Letter to Public Schools of Robeson County Board Members, From The Reverend Dr. Thomas E. Sagendorf, September 2, 2008 The Sexual Factor, Letter to The Clarion-Ledger, By Jordan Riak, July 14, 2008 Sparing the rod: JPS to bring back spanking?,The Clarion-Ledger, July 14, 2008 Corporal punishment in schools: Is it good discipline or bad sex?, By Jordan Riak, October 2008 Paddlers' state of mind, By Jordan Riak, July 3, 2008 Some Calif. Schools Locking Children In Closets, Reporting: Anna Werner (CBS 5), cbs5.com, June 27, 2008 Teacher accused of burning cross on student's arm, From Nkechi Nneji, CNN, June 21, 2008 Boy suffocated during school punishment; Coroner's Report, Graeme Hamilton, National Post, with files from Canwest News Service, June 20, 2008 Allegations of Abuse Plague Marengo County School Board, By Mandi Williams, Blackbelt Gazette, June 17, 2008 Kindergarten Cruelty: Not Child’s Play, Joanne Jacobs, mensnewsdaily.com, June 5, 2008 Crockett students released, Odessa American, May 15, 2008 Student Alleges Abuse, Kara Lee, CBS 7 News, May 14, 2008 Teacher suspended following allegation, By Mark Locklear,The Robsonian, April 10, 2008 DiPalma: Teacher/sex offender sentenced, Jefferson County, Colorado, April 4, 2008 Shame on Arkansas, Guest Editorial, By Jordan Riak, Arkansas Times, April 3, 2008 Police: Teacher Told Class to Hit Tardy Student, FOX News, March 31, 2008 Up the down stairs -- and up again and again At Shirley schools, a new punishment has some parents howling. Arkansas Times, March 6, 2008 Spanking Kids Causes Sexual Problems, By MedHeadlines, February 29, 2008 TN principal under investigation for paddling injury, WBIR.COM, February 29, 2008 Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems as Adults, New Research Shows, By Murray Straus, University of New Hampshire, February 28, 2008 Spanking may lead to sexual deviancy in years of maturity, Front page / Science, SOURCE: http://english.pravda.ru/news/, February 28, 2008 The whip, the paddle, the hickory switch, Presentation, Feb. 23, 2008, Black History Month Celebration, San Mateo Public Library, by Jordan Riak Dangerous Product Injures Children: Consumer Product Safety Commission looks at child safety with one eye shut, Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education, August 2007 WARNING - These images may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Do not open this page if children are present. The worst of all bad habits (If this or any other PDF page fails to open due to a pop-up blocker on your system, hold down the "Ctrl" button and click the link again.) Photographs of schoolchildren's paddling-related injuries and an open letter to educators and education policymakers in paddling districts WARNING - These images may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Do not open this page if children are present. Violated schoolchildren: corporal punishment-induced trauma WARNING - These images may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Do not open this page if children are present. To paddle or not to paddle? That's the question before state lawmakers., MyFOXCleveland.com, January 29, 2008 Camp Teacher Admits Spanking Boy's Bare Buttocks, TheDenverChannel.com, January 28, 2008 Graduate of a school for troubled teens describes dangerous "therapy." Ohio Governor Ted Strickland supports paddling ban -- Introduction of legislation to outlaw corporal punishment in schools brings issue into spotlight., By William Hershey, Staff Writer, Dayton Daily News, December 11, 2007 Hidden from View - Few fired for physical abuse; Severe sanctions for educators more likely in sexual cases, By Jill Riepenhoff and Jennifer Smith Richards, The Columbus Dispatch, November 18, 2007 INDIA - Policy against corporal punishment planned, Special Correspondent, The Hindu, November 18, 2007 Corporal punishment: Blatant violation of human dignity, By Pranita Mishra, Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd. , November 16, 2007 INDIA: Student Succumbs To Teacher’s Blows -- A fourteen-year-old student who battled for his life for the last two weeks has succumbed to corporal punishment., medindia.net, November 7, 2007 Admitting abuse but free to teach; Oregon education - Criminal convictions for admitted sexual misconduct are hit and miss Amy Hsuan, Melissa Navas and Bill Graves, The Oregonian, October 21, 2007 Legal loopholes keep some teacher misconduct records secret, By Juliet Williams, The Associated Press, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 20, 2007 Sexual misconduct plagues U.S. schools; AP finds 2,500 teachers punished in 5 years, By Martha Irvine and Robert Tanner, The Associated Press, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 20, 2007 125 Wash. teachers punished for sexual misconduct over 5 years, By Donna Gordon Blankinship,The Associated Press, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 20, 2007 Principal Admits Spanking Preschooler; State Attorney To Decide Whether To Press Charges, News4jax.com, September 6, 2007 Abuse, neglect appear widespread in Texas schools for retarded, By Emily Ramshaw and Amy Rosen, Dallas Morning News, July 23, 2007 Mississippi Sued Over Alleged Abuse at Girls Detention Center, FOXNews.com, July 12, 2007 Most districts still use paddle, By Rebecca Helmes, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, July 8, 2007 Back to the Past?, By Adam Lynch, Jacksonfreepress.com, July 3, 2007 Spanking a child is an act of violence, By Nina Adel, Robertson County Times - TN, June 28, 2007 Second Grader Stripped Naked, Spanked in Front of Classmates; School Principal calls it "a family matter", By Jane Watrel, WRC/NBC News Channel, February 28, 2007 Aunt's Whipping of Boy in Class Investigated, By Nelson Hernandez, Washington Post Staff Writer, Washington Post, February 27, 2007 Spanker protection bill dies in Senate, By Dion Lefler, Eagle Topeka bureau, Wichita Eagle, February 20, 2007 Texas looks at banning spanking in schools By Ramon Bracamontes, El Paso Times, February 16, 2007 Just another Mississippi school paddling, Reported to PTAVE, January 21, 2007 NYCLU Calls On State Regents To Reject Regulations Permitting Schools To Use Noxious Stimuli To Punish Students With Disabilities, By NYCLU, January 8, 2007 KANSAS: Proposal would give immunity to schools that spank, By Dion Lefler, The Wichita Eagle, January 6, 2007 Stop paddling students; Lawmakers should ban corporal punishment statewide, EDITORIAL: The Charlotte Observer, January 4, 2007 Union County, N.C. Weighs Pupil-Beating, A letter from PTAVE to local area education policymakers and media, December 31, 2006 Taiwan bans corporal punishment in schools; moves toward being an advanced, nurturing society, EDITORIAL, Taiwan Journal We Weren't Unbeatable -- An Open Letter to a Disciplinarian, By Spike, (Undated) Paddling and Gender, By David Hill, January 2, 2007 2006 School Corporal Punishment Report Card, By Robert E. Fathman, Ph.D., President, National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment in Schools, December 15, 2006 Letter to writer John Balch of the Nashville Leader about the Murfreesboro school paddling incident, By Barbara Neff, November 22, 2006 Parents file complaint over swats By Donna Hales, Phoenix Staff Writer , The Muskogee Phoenix, November 14, 2006 Authorities investigating school discipline incident, By John Balch, Leader staff, Nashville Leader, November 8, 2006 Atty. J. Robert Sheppard, Jr.'s Letter to the Members of the Union County Board of Education, October 30, 2006 Ban Corporal Punishment North Carolina Why doesn't the law work to protect my child at school?, By Yvette Smith, Antioch, California, August 2005 School of Last Resort, By Maria Eftimiades, PEOPLE, October 23, 2006 Teacher accused of abusing autistic child, By Jennifer Brevorka, Staff Writer, The News-Observer, May 17, 2006 Parents: Teacher crossed the line with discipline -- Police report filed over alleged stomping incident, By Monica Chen, The Herald, October 3, 2006 The children lose a friend, keep a screamer, A letter to PTAVE from a teacher, May 13, 2006 DeSoto Parish School System is Unsafe for Children, June 5, 2005 One Toxic Middle School in Mississippi, Letter from a Substitute Teacher to Project NoSpank, March 22, 2005 Sue Nunn's letter to each member of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee and a response from Rep. Paul I. Clymer, February 2005 Illustration published by the Anti-slavery Office, Boston 1845 Letter from a mom and a reply, September 29, 2004 My son needs help!, By Robin Currin, mother of Brandon March 29, 2004 The Turning Point, A letter to PTAVE from Bruce M., March 24, 2004 Teacher’s pets, By Khary Kimani Turner, Metro Times staff writer, Metro Times, February 18, 2004 Why I am home schooling the rest of this year, By Sydney Banks (Age 12), September 24, 2003 Serial child abuser finds easy prey in classrooms - Children's safeguards are scant to nonexistent, By Barbara Neff, June 8, 2003 Lucifer's Brothers - A Memoir, By Casey, April 25, 2003 In Defense of an Educator Accused of Child Abuse, By Jordan Riak, April 2003 Dorothy Neddermeyer's comments about "In Defense of an Educator Accused of Child Abuse" and Riak's response Spanking is sexual harassment, A letter to PTAVE from Richard C., April 19, 2003 A letter from Angela in Mississippi, April 18, 2003 Problems at a Christian(?) school, A letter from Ruth D., April 2003 CHADD Expresses Outrage Over Abuse 7-Year-Old Experiences at Hands of Teacher, Statement by Evelyn Polk Green, M.S.Ed, CHADD President, April 4, 2003 Letter from Jordan Riak to California Assembly Member Lois Wolk, March 31, 2003 School Justice: Punish the Victim, A letter from a mother to PTAVE, February 11, 2003 Abuse in the classroom -- A letter from Jordan Riak to all members of the California state legislature, January 2003. Why physical punishment in schools is a bad idea, By Justin Wyllie, October 2002 Who are the real bullies?, By Elizabeth Pfeiffer January 2003. Yes ... spare the rod; Early educator rejected corporal punishment, By Robert D. Ilisevich, The Meadville Tribune, April 12, 2005 Bullied ... by the teacher?, By Kathleen M. Heins, Better Homes & Gardens: "Raising Kids", September 2003, Sheri B. writes to PTAVE, January 12, 2003. Are you a bully? By Linda Starr, from Education World, February 4, 2003 Memories of my schooldays in Korea, By I. S. Choi, December 10, 2000 Editorial: Molesters for export -- It's elementary: Schools shouldn't 'pass the trash' , Post-Gazette.com, November 7, 1999 Dirty Secrets: Why sexually abusive teachers aren't stopped , First of a three-part series by Jane Elizabeth Zemel and Steve Twedt, Post-Gazette, October 31, 1999 Part Two Flawed system aids bad teachers Part Three State education officials want legislators' help to end sexual abuse The Boom Boom Method, B Lisa Gray, Houston Press, April 24, 1997. Rape: Lesson No. 1, Anon., August 1997 Corporal Punishment and Child Abuse -- Why do we continue to sanction child abuse in the classroom?, By Dr. Frederick C. Green, November/December 1988, "The Humanist" Shelly S. Gaspersohn: Testimony of to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, October 17, 1984 Don't Inflict My Pain on Others Good Old-Fashioned Discipline

	Top ten paddling states 1. Mississippi 2. Arkansas 3. Alabama 4. Tennessee 5. Oklahoma 6. Louisiana 7. Texas 8. Georgia 9. Missouri 10. New Mexico SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2000 Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report.
	Top ten lynching states 1. Mississippi 2. Georgia 3. Texas 4. Louisiana 5. Alabama 6. Florida 7. Arkansas 8. Tennessee 9. South Carolina 10. Kentucky SOURCE: The Charles Chesnutt Digital Archive