Posted on 04/16/2016 8:39:33 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
A startling video shows a 5-year-old boy getting paddled by his school principal in front of his mom.
Shana Marie Perez, who recorded the footage of her son's punishment, says she's had a long-running dispute with the school principal in Georgia. Her son has had 18 unexcused absences this school year and she was once arrested for his truancy.
She says the school threatened to call the police and have her arrested again if she did not give them permission to paddle Thomas.
She told IE: "I felt like I had no other option. The principal led me to believe that the paddle was the only option."
Perez said her son was "devastated about the whole situation."
"Every time I try to walk up to him he says 'don't hit me, don't hit me,'" she added.
The local sheriff says the school did nothing wrong because paddling is legal in Georgia as long as the parent gives their consent.
The disturbing video is re-igniting an old debate: is paddling really an effective way to punish a child this young?
Read: Teacher Arrested After Video Allegedly Caught Her Slapping Student in Class
Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz told IE: "There is really no data to say that corporal punishment effects positive change."
She added: "When you take a kid that is already being oppositional and defiant, now you have taught him that another method of coping is to hit. Chances are you are going to get a child that is going to hit."
The school district says they are investigating the incident and their discipline policies
This was a five year old child who engaged in fairly typical “naughty” behavior. Nothing dangerous. Nothing that would cause severe injury to another. The principal lied to the mother by threatening her with jail time if the child was given suspension. This was not proper discipline. This was assault. Hitting a five year old child who is obviously already traumatized with a wooden paddle is inexcusable. It is not a “good whipping”. Which if you mean a spanking on the bottom should only be done by a parent or other loving family member.
Knowing that the paddle or in my case at home, the hand, was enough to keep me in line. My older brother was spanked, I don’t know how often, but once it was for using the “n” word. I was spanked once, by my mother who cried the whole time, because when this same brother came home from the hospital and was still healing from a compound fracture, I pulled the chair out from under him causing him to fall. And yes, I did it on purpose. I was about 9. I don’t know whether my other brother was ever spanked. I doubt it.
She should have applauded the principal for doing her job, better yet, the father’s job, and when he got home added to the punishment. If it had been me when I was a kid, I would be eating of the mantle for a week until my butt cooled off.
The mother needs the paddling. Problem is, she might like it.
The little thug needed a good paddling since mama doesn’t want to be a responsible parent.
My dad would have been at work. My mom had to go down to school occasionally for my getting into minor trouble. Dad getting home from work later in the evening was not fun.
Nope. 5 years old ?
I’m guessing any spankings I might have given him would have ceased by then as something is wrong with that kid.
If my kid was that bad, I would have him all over hell and back to find him help, especially at that age..
Assault and battery without parents permission.
You don’t see the paddling on the video. The report I read said he spit on another child. Hitting an hysterical five year old with a wooden paddle is abuse. It is also wrong that they lied to the mother to get her consent. You know if the mom wanted to give him a spanking when he got home for his behavior that would be one thing. This is entirely different. I don’t agree with corporal punishment in schools. But if it is going to be used it should be limited for severe infractions and not used for children under 10 years of age. It should also require a signed consent form from the parent and at least 2 witnesses.
I got paddled plenty of times at school. Permission was neither requested or needed and neither of my parents was ever present. I survived. And I have no criminal history either as a juvenile or an adult. Imagine that.
She only gave permission because the principal lied to her by threatening her with jail time if the child ended up on suspension.
One other thought. It is also legal for a parent to spank a child in Kansas, largely because of several appellate decisions in which my former law partner represented the spanker. Oddly enough, he was a very liberal anti war nut job. For years I had the switch that was an exhibit in my pantry and would remind my kids that their Uncle ___ had made it legal to spank. I did spank my younger son once. We read a book first. I hit once and the stupid plastic ruler broke. This was after we figured out that he didn’t care if we sent him to his room (I’m talking no coming out except to go to the bathroom for a full 24 hours).
Our daughter was the problem but we didn’t spank her. Once I slapped her and she slugged me. But earlier we started removing privileges like no phone, no walking to school, eventually nothing in the room but a mattress and one change of clothes and then we removed the door. Sad. But still my MIL said we were the reason she went off the rails.
I’m older parent at 58 with an 8-13-15-26-27 year olds ....three boys and two girls......boys are easier
Anyhow....most of my school peer parents run from late 20s to mid 40
They view parenting entirely different than I do and how I was raised as a white Christian on the edge of a small city of 250,000 in the 60s and 70s
My wife who is 51 was raised in Charleston and Murfreesboro and similar background
Just some of observances of white GenX and early millenial family and parenting:
1) single moms abound even in fancy enclaves
2) women dominate the men much more even in families with stay at home moms....in fact little difference on the surface
3) the moms prefer to talk and talk versus discipline
4) the moms cling to the children on everything....you can’t keep them out of the school and activities
5) schools are largely run by women or maybe a scared man here and there
6) there are still a few alpha men around where I live...the more rural the more
7) it gets better by high school because they won’t let the moms live at the school....this is when young mom quits living at the school and takes up yoga and Pilates
8) stay at home moms don’t really stay home...they have activities and either pay someone to keep house or they neglect it
9) this one is universal...soccer moms are pathetically addicted to social media...that device in their hands consumes their lives besides doting on their kids....my wife is different about the kids but addicted to her iPhone like heroin
10) the kids are pampered and indulged and rotten as hell with poor manners....when we meet a yessir kid we want to meet the parents because they are obviously the rare fellow traveler and I’m in the south albeit an invaded part
11) these moms even if they consider themselves conservative will be soft on culture especially fags and green crap and of course the poor black victimhood
This is just what I see around me in a fairly upscale suburban to semi rural community
Very few spank and they sure wouldn’t have it at home
The order of the past is but a memory and I blame feminism and the men who rolled over
It ain’t complicated to me
I can only imagine how it is in Newton Mass or Marin county
Nope. 5 years old ?
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I agree. 5 is too young to allow teachers to do that.
The mother is sorry. My guess is that father is absent.
You got that right...something bizarre going on here..
Is a 5 year old even in kindergarden ?
How do you wail on a 5 year old ?
By the same token, what do you do with the spawn of Chuckie ?
This kid needs help besides being spanked.
18 unexcused absences at AGE 5??
What was the little tyke doing with his time off?
Have you ever spanked or been spanked?
Bedroom play doesn’t count
Got my knuckles rapped a few times.
The only physical discipline that I remain resentful of was the sucker punch to the gut.
That was the action of a bully with a dash of sadism, not appropriate behavior for Father T****, the principal.
The reason for the punch?
I had suggested to the police officer who addressed an assembly on the dangers of cannabis,
that alcohol was a worse drug.
Left the school shortly thereafter and wasn’t too enamored with the Church either.
Continued my education by other means.
As someone who has been on the other side of the desk, it sounds like a mother who doesn't give a damn and has a totally out of control child.
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