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Re: Giving power to the paddle
Dear Editor,
The Dallas Morning News deserves high praise for publishing "Giving power to the paddle" (August 20). It illuminates an issue that is shrouded in silence and denial. I have one criticism, however. I strongly object to the loaded wording of your survey question: "Do you think school officials should use corporal punishment to discipline misbehaving students?" In effect, you've pre-selected likely respondents, thus setting the stage for skewed results. In the interests of fairness and impartiality, I suggest you rephrase your question so that it is truly neutral. Otherwise, at least balance it with a second question like this: "Do you think a schoolchild should be subjected to being struck in the pelvic area with a wooden board by an incompetent and/or psychologically unbalanced school teacher?"
Sincerely,
Jordan Riak, Exec. Dir.,
Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE)
riak@nospank.net
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