EDITORIAL – Okla. paddles high school students

Corporal punishment in the form of paddling is still administered to students as young as… Corporal punishment in the form of paddling is still administered to students as young as kindergarteners and as old as seniors in high school in Oklahoma.

While some schools initially take a less severe approach to discipline, others delineate paddling down to the very style of the act. Also, what differs from school to school is the number of strokes a student can receive.

Some have a limit of no more than two on a given day; others administer three for every offense. More than a decade ago, efforts were made to eradicate this kind of punishment in Oklahoma, but the state left the decision up to each district. Oklahoma lacks uniformity in how punishment is administered in schools, and that needs to be regulated.

But, for the most part, they consider paddling an option and send out letters to parents every year, giving them the alternative of suspension if they do not believe in corporal punishment in schools.

It seems, however, that despite good intentions to regulate behavior in school, whether or not all principals should be in the position to paddle students is questionable. What happens if a principal shows favoritism at the expense of an innocent child?

In addition to paddling, some institutions still administer punishments such as detention, financial sanctions and detainment during activities and school functions. But it still seems odd for schools to administer such an archaic form of reprimand because of the potential problems.

First, there is the valid concern that if a child is taught physical reprimanding corrects behavior, what will prevent them from taking this kind of action to correct someone else? It’s hypocritical to teach children that violence is not the answer while arguing that corporal punishment in schools is still necessary and a deterrent to bad behavior.

Also, there are the scenarios where paddling is simply inappropriate. The image of an older, male principal paddling a young woman who is a senior in high school is quite disconcerting for any reasonable person.

Then there is the question of what should be done in schools that do not have moderately bad kids who will consent to being paddled. If this practice of discipline was brought to an inner city school, where often-faulty metal detectors greet students at the door, paddling might incite more bad behavior than good.

What happened to a good old scare? Students often report that fear is very useful and often more effective than a few strokes of a paddle. After a certain age, it seems almost ridiculous to punish anyone above the junior high school level with a paddle.

There are plenty other punishments that serve to regulate students. Whether one believes in corporal punishment or not, this nonspecific system of paddling in schools needs to be legislated against.