TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. – A Georgia school district is reinstituting corporal punishment for misbehaving students, according to ABC News.
The decision is a result of a 62 physical fights and 300 incidents of student misconduct that occurred in the 2007-08 school year in the Twiggs County school district. The district serves approximately 1,100 students.
Students who do not respond to detention or other types of punishment will be paddled by principals. However, school officials must receive permission from the student’s parent(s) at the beginning of the school year. Currently, school officials said they have full support from parents.
Additionally, when a student is paddled, another teacher or staff member must be present. According to school policy, students as young as four can receive this form of discipline.
Most states have banned corporal punishment from schools; however, the school district in Twiggs County is one of at least 150 districts that allow it.
Paddling is legal in 21 states. California, Illinois and New York have banned the punishment from public schools, although it can be practiced in private schools.
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