Posted on 10/28/2005 4:53:52 PM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
A Unionville mother and father are complaining about the paddling of their 14-year-old son, allegedly by Community High School's assistant principal, and they've taken their concerns to the superintendent of schools, the sheriff's department and have released their boy's medical records showing bruises and swelling at his tailbone. "Diagnosis: Child Abuse," is a notation in the physician's notes. Community High School Principal Robert Ralston declined comment and deferred questions to Bedford County Schools' Central Office where Superintendent Ed Gray said he's in the middle with responsibilities to protect students' as well as employees' rights. To avoid duplication of efforts, Gray said Bedford County Sheriff Clay Parker and/or his detectives would be investigating the allegations.
Samuel Manus suffered a "knot and bruise on [his] lower spine," which showed "swelling due to excessive force ... punishment with a wooden paddle," according to Dr. Corbi D. Milligan, a physician in Smyrna who examined the eighth grader on Monday. The paddling on Wednesday last week, Oct. 19, was a result of an incident on a school bus Oct. 18. The boy didn't tell his parents, Freddy and Tracy Manus of Virgil Crowell Road, until Sunday, Oct. 23, "because he had a run-in with Mr. Williams last year," Freddy Manus said. The father says he was escorted at that time from Community School by a school resource officer and that on the way out, Assistant Principal Keith Williams told him "'I call the shots. You don't.'"
The distinction seems important because of an apparent difference in paddling policies between Community High School and Community Elementary School, as interpreted by Tracy Manus, who points to Student Handbooks. Parents are asked if they'll give permission to paddle elementary schoolers, but the high school student handbook doesn't have such a reference. Regardless, Freddy Manus says his son, Samuel, didn't deserve a paddling that resulted in such injury. He took Samuel to Dr. Milligan on Monday afternoon after he and Samuel visited the superintendent that morning.
"After listening to their explanation of the incident, I advised the parent that he could file a complaint with the school system, file a complaint with the sheriff's office or make a report to the Department of Children's Services. He took a copy of the school system complaint form," Gray said in a prepared statement. "The father returned to my office and related that he had chosen to file with the sheriff's office. I explained to him that the school system would cooperate with the law enforcement investigation."
Ralston said: "Community High School has been made aware of a complaint being issued regarding our staff. It is our policy not to comment on student matters except with their parents or appropriate authorities. Any further questions can to be directed to our central office." Samuel Manus said he was paddled by Williams who used a paddle with a face approximately 4-inches wide and perhaps a foot long. He had to bend over with his hands on a bench for the paddling which was observed by Ralston, the student said. His doctor said she'd not seen such injury from paddling before.
"It hit the lower part of the spine," Milligan said. "Most times when kids are spanked, they're hit on the buttock," she said. "He would not have had bruising had he been hit on the buttock. "The American Academy of Pediatrics' policy on corporal punishment is ... it's not an appropriate form of punishment at any age," the pediatrician said. "I understand there are cultural differences, but there have to be boundaries," she said. "If marks are left, then the punishment is excessive." What led to the paddling is described by the Manus family: Samuel was seated on a county school bus with a friend. They were going to his house after school on the other boy's normal bus ride. Samuel had a foot in the aisle of the bus, an infraction of rules on that bus. Freddy Manus sees merit to the rule but only if a passenger is trying to trip another. Because of the infraction, the bus was stopped and Samuel Manus was told to sit behind the driver. The boy told the Times-Gazette that he told the driver, "'If you don't leave me alone, I'll get my daddy on this.'
"He said, 'Shut up,'" Samuel Manus reported.
Freddy and Tracy Manus concede their son has been paddled before. The three "licks" he got last week brought his total to five, having had two administered during one previous "butt whuppin'," the parents said. Freddy Manus said Thursday he's taken medical records to the Bedford County Sheriff's Department that afternoon, having left them for Detective Chris Brown. The father and detective had spoken earlier. A call to the Sheriff's Department resulted in no contact with Brown or Parker. It was not totally clear whether the department would proceed toward an arrest warrant or whether the information gathered would be presented to the grand jury for the potential issuance of an original indictment. Meanwhile, the Associated Press has reported that a new state law requires anyone who suspects a child has been abused to report the case directly to the Department of Children's Services, or face a $2,500 fine. The law is expected to have the greatest impact on teachers, day care workers, nurses, and institutions dealing with children. Another state law says teachers and principals may use corporal punishment in a reasonable manner against any pupil for good cause to maintain discipline and order in the public schools.
Another section says teachers can hold students accountable for disorderly conduct on campus and the school bus. However, boards of education shall adopt rules as deemed necessary to implement and control any form of corporal punishment. Gray says there is no system-wide policy. Some schools follow the state law. Others have their own policies. The discrepancy has been approached, but not resolved by the school board.
Also interesting is the $2500 fine for not reporting potential cases of abuse. An investigative reporter should look into this and see if perhaps Mr. McManus caused the injuries to his child with the intention of attempting to sue the district. Mr. McManus should be happy that his son only received a spanking. In the future, he'll probably see the wisdom of that statement.
Dr. Corbi Milligan should see his/her practice boycotted immediately.
I'm surprised that any high school would be dishing out 'spankings in this day and age. They pretty much asked to be sued. Then to go and hit a kid on his tail bone....well there you have it, utter stupidity.
If the child doesn't want corporal punishment, then the child should comport himself in a manner that doesn't merit corporal punishment.
I've got a solution to this problem. The next time the kid screws up, the parent should take the swats. And if that's the case, get a longer heavier paddle!
Don't believe everything you read. Second, we don't know how that happened. If what I suspect is true, the kid tried to avoid the swat causing the problem.
School teachers can go overboard.
I remember back when I was in the sixth grade.
Teacher decided to "give licks" to every male in the class, whether you did anything bad or not. Simply because he had the power and the sadistic SOB decided to use it.
When my turn came I refused to take it.
The teacher grabbed me and I hit him in the jaw, knocking him on his ass.
Got kicked out of school.
When my dad found out what happened he met with the teacher and told him, "If you ever touch one of my kids again I will kill you"
Issue settled.
When I was in high school MANY years ago, I saw a coach paddle a boy in gym class. The paddle broke and flew the entire length of the gym floor.
I don't think that would be allowed today.
Giving licks to kids on general principle is clearly abuse. It's also evidence of a sadistic personality. That person should be relieved of his position. I would also back charges being brought.
"... it's not an appropriate form of punishment at any age," the pediatrician said.."
Oh paleeeeeeez.
No. The appropriate form of punishment would have been WAY more!
I don't think that would be allowed today.
The coach would be lucky if he weren't charged with assault.
When are people going to wake up and see that corporal punishment with a paddle is a GOOD thing? I'm a judge and I swear if more "children" were paddled, there would be fewer in prison where they REALLY get beat up and abused.
People need to get over themselves and get back to reality. Breaking bones is too much. Burning with cigaretts is too much. Bringing forth blood is too much. A paddling is NOT TOO MUCH. A few welts and bruises is NOT TOO MUCH.
I had a similar experience in 5th grade with a sadistic witch who actually got off on paddling kids...
She'd pull the girls skirts up so the whole class could see their panties while she hit them so hard they jolted from head to toe.
She'd intentionally give so much homework at night that only a handful of kids could get it done (if they set up til the wee hours). That way she had a line of kids every day to beat on.
Years later, even my mother admitted she was puzzled by how much useless work the woman gave us (like copying complete pages of text).
It got to where the room would be full of weeping kids before class even started. One girl started vomiting before class. Finally, I guess the parents, who were extremely old world 'spare the rod' types...even they had enough and went to the principal.
She stopped, but you could tell she was furious about being reigned in. And I heard later, she never taught again after that year.
I hate adults who hit kids. I've seen too many with a glitter in their eye that lets you know that the only thing better for them is sex.
...and that's why men used to be real men in this country. Great story.
When I was in the seventh grade I completely by accident embarrassed a teacher. About 15 minutes later he made up some excuse and gave me a severe paddling.
In those days the teacher was always right and I basically think that is a good idea but nothing should be zero tolerance. He basically used his position to assault and batter a student for pure meaness.
Yeah, OSHA would insist that he wear goggles these days to protect himself from flying splinters.
The late 1950s were a very different time with very different rules and kids.
I never saw one kid use drugs in any form in my high school. Some drank, but they were a minority.
We only had one senior girl get married before graduation, and that was Ralna English of 'Guy and Ralna" from the Lawrence Welk show.
In case it is not clear, I am old.
Hey, aren't you one of the ones in the running for that SCOTUS job?
Kids will see the benefit of having someone else take their punishment and they'll quickly learn that they aren't responsible for their own actions and they have no consequences to those actions.
Yeah, I'm thinking he may have moved too.
I agree. My point was that dear old dad would start to get the picture if he was required to take the medicine.
No, you are right. The kid should be held responsible.
I don't want physical punishment to injur a child, but when I say that, a bruise is NOT an injury. The guidelines say 'no mark left behind.' That is sheer loonacy.
Our children respect nobody. They act like dufuses at school and disrupt the program for everyone else.
When my folks sent me to school, the admonision was, if you get in trouble at school and get a swat, when you come home you'll get another. Believe me, my head was in the game.
Today children manipulate the staff at school and their own parents to the point of their own destruction.
Although drugs were common in some parts of the country, they were unknown to us. Hardly any of the girls were sexually active. I know that because my best friend was probably the most popular guy in school and he spent a lot of his time trying to get girls to, as he said, "put out".
He was still a virgin when he graduated. Now there were a couple of girls that it was said they were a little loose but they weren't the ones we wanted to be with.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.