Lafayette County School District: Corporal Punishment is Now a Choice (REVISED)

Courtney Foster

Jour 377

D. Jackson

11/2/11

868 words

Lafayette County School District: Corporal Punishment is Now a Choice

Striking a child’s backside with a 21 inch long, 3 inch wide and ¾ inch thick wooden paddle sounds cruel; but unlike past generations, students are now lucky enough to have the choice to endure a few licks for their wrong doings.

The state of Mississippi is one of  19 states that deems the infliction of physical punishment on students for misbehavior to be legal within public schools. Along with the other 152 Mississippi school districts, the Lafayette County School District continues to enforce corporal punishment. Lafayette’s School District consists of Lafayette Elementary, Lafayette Upper Elementary, Lafayette Middle, and Lafayette High, all of which implement “paddling” as a form of severe punishment.

 “Before the students are paddled, they can choose to attend Saturday school, two after-school detentions, or three licks aka choose from the ‘Discipline Ladder,’ and the student can change their mind at any time,” says Lafayette Middle School counselor Mary Thompson.  

The Entrance to Lafayette Middle and Lafayette High

According to the 2011-2012 Lafayette County School District Handbook, corporal punishment is only given when deemed appropriate. Tardies, class disruption, and talking back to teachers are just some of the actions that warrant corporal punishment. Paddling is always administered by the principal or a certified staff member in a private room, and is given to both sexes. The handbook clearly states in bold letters “Parents who choose not to have their child corrected by the use of corporal punishment must put this request in writing each year.” Parents and students may access the 2011-2012 Lafayette County District Handbook and view the Lafayette Middle School corporal punishment request form here: http://www.edline.net/files/_UTCmn_/282fc544279267223745a49013852ec4/Student_Handbook_2011-12PDF.pdf.  

According to www.corpun.com, the use of corporal punishment in Mississippi has greatly fluctuated throughout the years. During the 1997-1998 school years, nearly 50,000 students were subjected to corporal punishment. In 2005-06, Mississippi ranked No.1 in the U.S. with 7.5 percent of students being struck by educators, amounting to 38,131 students that were struck. The state’s Department of Education reported that number of paddlings given to students had increased with 47,727 to 57,953 strikes during 2006-07.  

Thompson believes that some of the reasoning behind the Lafayette County School District’s decision to decrease the use of corporal punishment stems from one specific court case that took place at Lafayette Middle School in 2002.

In an article written by Shea Stewart in The Oxford Eagle titled “Paddling of Local Student Set to be Discussed on National TV,” Shane Onsby, 14, and his mother Loretta filed misdemeanor simple assault charges against LMS football coach Jason Goodwin, after he had struck Onsby three times for missing football practice. Loretta was outraged by the severity of her son’s bruising that she took him to the doctor and contacted the police. Police had informed the boy’s mother that if she had inflicted the bruises, then she would have been charged with child abuse. Enraged with fury that she could not file charges against the school, due to corporal punishment being legal in Mississippi, Loretta got her revenge as she made headlines on national TV on The John Walsh Show, as she voiced her disgust for the actions of Goodwin and of the school.

LMS Bulletin Board

Wanting to maintain a substantial reputation, one LMS eighth grade teacher anonymously voiced her opinion on the Onsby case saying “Prior to Shane Onsby, paddling was done a lot more and it greatly decreased after that. Personally I think that paddling is just another form of punishment, it is not meant to be a bad thing. I’ve been teaching here for 23 years and I think paddling is a pretty reasonable punishment.”

The Center for Effective Discipline website, www.stophitting.com, states that using alternative forms of punishment teaches children to be self-disciplined rather than cooperative only because they are fearful. Some alternatives to paddling could include emphasizing positive behavior of students, conferences with students enforcing acceptable behavior, and having parent teacher conferences with the students. This non-profit organization believes that the best way to deal with students misbehaving is by preventing it. The most effective way to make an impact on students is to not only correct misbehavior but to also teach good behavior and coping skills.     

Education reporter Marquita Brown of The Clarion-Ledger states that “Nationally, most states/schools/districts are moving away from using corporal punishment. In most school districts, more serious offenses such as fighting have stiffer consequences. Other punishments, including suspension or detention, are often used instead of corporal punishment.”

The Lafayette County School District’s code of conduct reads that the primary reason for the conduct and personal appearance of students rests in the hands of themselves and their parents’ as well. Proper conduct and a clear mind are essential for learning to take place.

The hallways of LMS

The future of corporal punishment is uncertain, but Lafayette Middle School Principal Eddie Murphree has only conducted four paddlings this year so far.

“I personally don’t see a change in the near future. Now I could be wrong. But because of the thought that goes behind actually using that as a form of punishment I think it is probably in place as it is and it will continue to be used for a little while longer,” Thompson said.  

  

 LMS Counselor Mary Thompson Speaks Corporal Punishment

Sources:

Farrell, C. (2011, August). Corporal Punishment in U.S. Schools. Retrieved from http://www.corpun.com/counuss.htm

Lafayette County School District (website & handbook)
http://www.gocommodores.org/pages/Lafayette_County_School_Distri

http://www.edline.net/files/_UTCmn_/282fc544279267223745a49013852ec4/Student_Handbook_2011-12PDF.pdf



Lafayette Middle School Eighth Grade Teacher (Wanted to remain Anonymous)
102 Commodore Drive
Oxford, Mississippi 38655
Phone: 662-234-1664

Marquita Brown (K-12 Education Reporter)
The Clarion-Ledger
mbrown13@clarionledger.com
(601) 961-7059

Mary Thompson (Lafayette Middle School Counselor)

102 Commodore Drive
Oxford, Mississippi 38655
Phone: 662-234-1664


Stewart, S. (2002, November 26). Paddling of Lafayette county Mississippi student discussed on national TV. Retrieved from http://www.parentsunitedtogether.com/page67.html

The Center for Effective Discipline: Arguments against corporal punishment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=argumentsagainst