my 5 yr old son was paddled by the principal I have several problems about this and would like any help or suggestions.
1.) I signed the form to allow him to be paddled but i wrote in very noticeable informing them that before he was to be paddled they must first call and tell me what he is being paddled for. I live 2 miles from the school.

2.) my son received a paddling by the principal which left a very red and raised mark on him 5 hours later. I do have pictures. the principal paddled him at nap time (after lunch). He got around to calling me to inform me he was paddled at 4:00 pm.

3.) he was paddled on tuesday by the teacher for hitting a child and used the restroom on the wall. i went talked to the teacher on wednesday and also sent a note telling her he was not to be paddled again. i made it very clear I expected to be called before hand.

4.) the principal had the teacher walk him over to the office on friday and he was paddled again. this is when he left the marks. this is the best part the teacher never told him she already paddled him nor did she stop it. So the principal left marks on my 5 yr old child by accident. it took him 3 days to get around to handling it and he was 4 hours late on calling to get permission since they were told not to at all.

what should i do and how should i handle this?

J_9

There are many of us like this now NW, but there are still many, including my neighbors all around me, who are still of the old mindset that the school should do the paddling. It's just an old school school of thought.

squackmaster

I would never want the school to paddle my children. But I would expect something to be done if they hit another child and urinated on a wall in the school. Maybe you should look into why your child feels it's OK to go to the bathroom on the wall. Forget the attorneys... just straighten your son out and send him back to school. For whatever reason you did sign the form saying you approved the paddling. So there really shouldn't be a problem.

CHERIE_LABAT

Thank you to everyone for your response. I've contacted several attorneys and can not find one due to they are scared of being black balled and said the same would happen to me. I think the teacher does has a personal problem with me from 4 yrs ago. Truthfully it was not even to do with me but I went to the scene of a wreck for support to my best friend. Her son was the driver which he was 17 at the time but the teacher pulled out in front of him, he topped the hill and hit her infant son was in the front seat of the car in a carrier but not strapped in the carrier and the seatbelt wasn't strapped either. The baby was ejected and did not make it, due to this womans neglect. I was concerned from the get go about him being in her class. I figured she probably would not put it together. I dont even remember seeing her at the scene.
Everybody acts like I'm making to big of a deal. This is my baby it is a big deal. I'm so mad I cant hardly stand it. I dont know what else to do. School board is trying to kinda brush me off and telling me to just let it be and they would be no more problems.
If anyone knows of anyone that might could help please let me know, I have pictures and the consent form that I signed that clearly states to call first each incident. I also went talked to the teacher the day after he was paddled and sent a little note stating he is not to be paddled at all. I think she did it for meanness. I dont want money I want her and the principals job. They dont deserve to be in charge of their self much less children.

bushg

Then call your states captiol, there should be someone in charge of education there. Better yet make copies of all you have and send them. Tell them if the issue is not resolved that you will get a lawyer. You may have to get one, try the next town over or the next county. Don't let this slide.

N0help4u

That happened with me with Child Protective services I had pages of things against them and as soon as I mentioned CPS to any lawyers they quickly showed me the door.

There should be something you can do. Hope you figure it out. Could you take it to somewhere in your state capital?
Like I said if you had whipped him half as bad the school would have been mandated to turn it into CPS and you would have lost your son. Yet they do that and "IT is NO big deal"

oneguyinohio

I've got a 10 year old son, and if anyone ever paddled him, they better be prepared to get a whippin of their own! I know different people have different philosophies on that, but I don't believe in it. I have never had to do it for my son although I did threaten him with it once when he was biting other kids and was old enough (5 I think) to know better. I talked to him and told him what I would do if he bit another kid, and how that was hurting other kids so if he did it again I would have to punish him with a spanking... I then had to explain to him what a spanking was because he had never had one. I told him I didnt want to do it but that I also did not want him hurting other kids. Thankfully, he never did it again!

I was paddled and whipped with switches, belts, hands, flyswatters, yardsticks, and a number of other things as a child, and remember thinking even as I was being whipped, that it would never be done to my child!

I'm not being critical of your choice to paddle, but only hope you'll consider other means of punishment and "instructional correcting" for your child. All I ever learned from getting hit is that people could hurt you if they got mad.... It's a wonder I didn't add to that by thinking that it was OK to hurt people when you were mad at them for something.

DOES your child have a behavior problem or learning disability? If so and that is getting him into trouble at school perhaps he needs an assistant at school to help him remember the proper way to act... only asking not judging him... maybe he was just showing off or something when he went on the wall?

I also agree that since you did initially sign the paper giving permission for the spanking, then perhaps there was some confusion in the paper work getting to the principal. Your son is out of her room now so that should no longer be an issue, but if you want to continue with a lawyer and such you may have to go outside of your area to find one willing to get involved. You could call the police and all that stuff, but since you have to live in the community, it may lead to more trouble down the road.

Have you thought about volunteering at the school and getting involved with things and people there personally? So that you are not viewed as an outsider of sorts but rather a liason with them to work on issues??? Make yourself valuable to them rather than a problem to be dealt with??

Also, how do other parents feel about the principal and the paddling at the school? Do any of them have the same issues as you? If so, it might be easier to get the board to listen to a group of concerned parents...

jillianleab

From the reading I've been doing about paddling in schools, it seems the teachers and administrators have special protection under the law, which is why they can't be brought up on child abuse charges. I would write a formal letter once more to the school; give one to the admin office (principal and vice-principal), the guidance counselor, and all instructors who interact with your son stating that under NO circumstances is he to EVER be paddled. Make sure the letter is dated and signed by you and if you can get a witness to go to the school with you to see the letter being handed out, that's even better (that way they can never claim to have not received it). Then I would look into moving your son into another class with a new teacher.

As far as lawyers not wanting your case, keep trying and move up the ranks. Send a letter and the pictures, as well as other documentation to the school board. Send it to your county representatives, district representatives, hell, even your state representatives. Talk to other parents and see if anyone else has issues with the situation as it happened to your son and if they have encountered such things as well. Go to school board meetings and speak out. If getting the teacher and principal fired or at least reprimanded is important to you, don't stop until it happens.

Good luck to you,

Tuscany

I would amend the form that you sent in that allowed him to be paddled. Send in a new note that is notorized that states you DO NOT want your child paddled. As a teacher in NY State I find this whole issue barbaric and inhumane. Why any school would want to paddle a child or why a parent would want a teacher to discipline their child in that manner is unknown to me.

Fr_Chuck

I would say they want to paddle a child to correct thier behavior, to keep disipline in the class room and to raise a child in a good manner.

I can't beleive parents who want thier child running wild and not proerly disiplined.

Tuscany

I agree with you on one thing Fr. That parents don't want their child running wild. But, I can tell you that I was NEVER hit as a child and I did not run wild. My parents taught me to have a healthy respect of those older then me without the use of force.

As a teacher I would not feel comfortable hitting another person's child. Spanking will forever be a debated issue, those that believe in it, and those that don't. I believe that spanking has no place in the classroom.