A Missouri school district is offering spanking as a punishment for students this school year — but only if their parents sign up to the policy.
Earlier this week, parents of students attending classes in the Cassville R-IV School District were notified that the school board had taken on apolicyin June that allows the “use of physical force as a method of correcting student behavior,“The Washington Postreported.
Per the policy, corporal punishment utilizing a wooden paddle on a student’s butt is permitted, but only as a last resort “when all other alternative means of discipline have failed.”
The disciplinary measure, the policy adds, should be done “in reasonable form and upon the recommendation of the principal,” and “never be inflicted in the presence of other students.”
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A teacher or principal must also send a report to the school district’s superintendent explaining the reasons why the punishment has been employed.
A representative for the Cassville R-IV School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Speaking with theSpringfield News-Leader, Cassville R-IV School District Superintendent Merlyn Johnson revealed that forms were given to parents on an open school night. These allow parents to either opt in or out of the punishment for their child.
Johnson told the outlet that some parents have long requested corporal punishment be allowed within the district, which belongs to a “very traditional community in southwest Missouri.”
“Parents have said, ‘Why can’t you paddle my student?’ and we’re like, ‘We can’t paddle your student, our policy does not support that,'” he added. “There had been conversation[s] with parents, and there had been requests from parents for us to look into it.”
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After the policy was put in place, Johnson told theSpringfield News-Leader, “We’ve had people actually thank us for it.”
“Surprisingly, those on social media would probably be appalled to hear us say these things, but the majority of people that I’ve run into have been supportive,” he continued, referencing online debate about the district’s move.
“This will only be for those parents who wish to be part of it,” Johnson added. “We respect the decision of every parent, whatever decision they make.”
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“No one is jumping up and down saying we want to do this because we like to paddle kids. That is not the reason that we would want to do this,” Johnson told theSpringfield News-Leader. He also noted that only one or two swings are allowed to be used for younger students, while up to three can be utilized for older ones.
“The kid stays in the classroom and learns. When they are suspended, they are not with the teacher anymore,” he added. “A lot of times when kids are out-of-school suspended, they don’t have the opportunity to make up that work. They get zeros and that is not what we want.”
Alongside the new spanking policy, the Cassville R-IV School District also banned electronics from the classroom and created a “Success Academy” for those “who struggle in a traditional setting,” per theSpringfield News-Leader.
“The positive reinforcement, we love it. That works with a lot of kids,” Johnson told the outlet. “However some kids play the game and their behaviors aren’t changing.” He added: “We understand that it is a bit of a shock factor. So if there is one kid or a few kids out there that know… there might be a different type of discipline, it might change their behavior.”
Johnson and his team intend to review the impact of their initiatives at the end of the school year. “We go back to the drawing board every year and look at what our needs are and reassess and come back with something different, maybe, next year,” he told theSpringfield News-Leader.
source: people.com
