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Although we don't know the size or weight of the paddle Mr. Shaw uses, or how remarkable the velocity of his swing may be, we know from recent news reports that bruises, welts, blisters and severe inflammation have been attributed to two of the paddlings he recently performed. As far as we can tell, Mr. Shaw has not denied causing such marks, nor disavowed corporal punishment on this order of severity. It would therefore be a mistake to agree to a paddling by Mr. Shaw on the assumption that the pain he inflicts will be of moderate intensity and duration. In fact, one of the students he paddled had to sleep on her side the night following the punishment, according to her mother.
Students and parents should be advised, moreover, that Texas state law gives schools special immunity from both prosecution and civil action. The rules for teachers and principals when it comes to physical punishment are therefore a lot more lax than for other caretakers (ref: Section 9.62 of the Texas Penal Code). The track record of parental complaints, whether to administrators, law enforcement, or the courts, demonstrates that there is little effective recourse when a school paddling goes overboard. This is likely to remain true as long as Texas continues to get away with having eliminated the very checks and balances which the Supreme Court cited in its 1977 decision upholding corporal punishment.
Given that the students in the cases mentioned above were both female, it would also be a mistake for a female student considering the corporal punishment option to think, "Mr. Shaw will go easy on me because I'm a girl." In point of fact, he does not hesitate to spank girls very, very hard--although it's possible that he spanks boys harder still. In any case, it is clear that Mr. Shaw is a very strong man. Maybe he doesn't know his own strength sometimes and didn't mean to hit those girls with that level of force. Alternatively, it's possible he has no reservations about striking students with that level of force and is moreover encouraged by the official countenance of Springtown ISD, which believes that even high school girls sometimes need a really hard spanking, delivered by a man if necessary. If that man happens to be Mr. Shaw, you should be prepared for an intense experience--"fair sex" be damned. To paraphrase Robert Plant: the vice principal is gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Students who decide to submit to a paddling, whether to protect their academic standing, remain eligible for school sports, or for any other reason, might want to request precautions to minimize the risk of impact-based injury more serious than the aforementioned bruises, welts, etc. For example, safety pads could be secured over the tailbone and upper thighs. To avoid any impulsive and hazardous body movements, such as placing your hand upon your buttocks in reaction to pain inflicted thereto by a blow, which could put your hand in harm's way, it might be prudent to ask for restraints of some kind. Male students might also consider wearing a protective cup, or at least ensure that the exact position they assume is such that the testicles cannot be inadvertently struck. Female students may wish to avoid being paddled during their menstrual cycle, not only because the punishment's pain could be compounded by dysmenorrhea and other discomforts, but also because of female-specific medical risk of sustained hemorrhaging as the result of forceful blows to the pelvic region. And if there's any chance at all you could be pregnant, it goes without saying that you should not let anyone paddle you. Statistically rare as such paddling-related injuries may be, there is no need to tempt fate by foregoing simple, common-sense safety measures. Keep in mind that in the hands of a strong individual, the speed of the paddle as it strikes your body could be comparable to the speed of a major league baseball pitch, or, perhaps more aptly, the racquet swing of a tennis pro.
These risks could actually be bypassed if schools were to adopt a non-impact-based method of inflicting pain, such as low-current electric shocks. Indeed, there is precedent in the U.S. for the use of cattle prods, both at home and in school, as a tool to correct children and teens' behavior. Sure, it hurts plenty, but arguably no more so than a paddling that leaves blisters, welts and bruises. If you're trying to impress upon disobedient or disrespectful kids that their actions have consequences, either one will do the trick. Abandoning licks in favor of shocks, however, would have an equalizing effect: with pain no longer a function of the punisher's strength, a petite school librarian would be able to deliver punishment just as effectively as a burly football coach. Compared to the paddle's force of impact, moreover, electric shock can be more precisely controlled and thereby applied more consistently, which serves the interest of fairness. It seems unlikely, however, that Springtown High would accommodate requests for an alternative form of corporal punishment to paddling, which is after all steeped in custom despite being one of the more variable-prone methods of pain infliction. Even so, there's no harm in asking. If the prospect of injury doesn't concern administrators, you can also point out the compromise to modesty entailed by the positioning of your buttocks to be smacked--not to mention the innuendo to which you may be subjected by your peers for having submitted to this form of punishment, on account of its well known "adult" associations. (Those who require proof can simply enter the word "spanking" into a search engine to see what kind of results it gets.)
So kids, don't bend over for Mr. Shaw--or for anyone--without first giving careful consideration to the facts about school corporal punishment. For more information, check out some of these websites and articles:
Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education
People Opposed to Paddling Students (POPS)
The Center for Effective Discipline
"18-year-old student sues over paddling" - Associated Press, January 30, 2005
"Age-old controversy: Is paddling right, how much? District within law to paddle, but family says it went too far" - Dallas Morning News, July 24, 2004
"The Boom Boom Method" - Houston Press, April 24, 1997
"Lawsuits Touch Off Debate Over Paddling in the Schools" - New York Times, May 3, 2001
"Paddling principal won't face charges" - Jackson Sun (Tenn.), May 24, 2003
The True Origins and Purpose of the Paddle
"What Good is School Paddling?" by Jeff Charles
"Don't Inflict My Pain on Others," by Shelly S. Gaspersohn, guest columnist, USA Today, October 23, 1984 (see also Ms. Gaspersohn's testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, October 17, 1984 (www.nospank.net/shelly.htm) U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, October 17, 1984