When you think of why a school would ban corporal punishment on their students, you would think their reason why would be pretty obvious (it’s cruel, it’s outdated, it’s unnecessary, etc. etc.), but you know, Florida.
Believe it or not, the Santa Rosa school district in northern Florida has been allowing their students to be physically punished by school authorities this whole time, even though it’s 2014 and this is America!
SERIOUSLY!
Well, turns out, the district has finally woken up from their 100-year nap and has decided to take a stand against hitting their students with a new rule that will begin “phasing” out the practice. But, is it to protect their abused pupils? Is it because they’ve entered the modern age and have realized that there are other forms of discipline that are much more effective?
Nope!
In fact, the reason why they’ve decided to change is not to protect the students at all — but the TEACHERS!
We’ll give you a sec to re-read that sentence ’cause we know it’s pretty un-friggin-believable.
Turns out, the school district has been knee-deep in lawsuits — especially since they’ve had more than 400 incidents of paddling since 2012 — despite the fact that they DO require parents to give permission for their children to be subjected to paddling.
However, the complaints and liability issues have gotten so out of hand that super cool guy District Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick has explained:
“I can no longer protect my employees. Even if they├óΓé¼Γäóre following protocol and involving the parents. Our employees are awesome individuals who work so hard. They don├óΓé¼Γäót deserve to be treated like that.”
Uhhhh, “work so hard” as in improving their golf swing each day they take a kid over their knee and paddle them until they cry?
….Because that’s what it sounds like to us (and probably YOU)!
We’re glad Santa Rosa has finally woken up to this, we just wish it was for their students and not just for protecting their OWN behinds from the hammer of the court gavel.
Just in case you were wondering, nineteen states STILL allow the practice of corporal punishment in their schools, which leads us wonder…
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[Image via foursteplanguagemath.com]