Bill Would Allow Paddling as Punishment in Schools

Schoolteachers could paddle students who misbehave in the classroom under legislation that has been introduced in the Assembly.

The bill (AB 101) is sponsored by Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange), who has another pending measure calling for court-supervised paddling as punishment for juveniles who are convicted of graffiti crimes.

A similar graffiti-paddling bill failed to pass in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee in the 1994 legislative session. The use of corporal punishment to discipline students in the schools was permitted in California until it was outlawed in 1986.

Individual school districts would make their own determination on whether paddling could be used to punish unruly students and issue appropriate guidelines for teachers to follow when carrying it out. Under Conroy’s bill, paddling of students could only take place with a parent or other adult present.

“The whole idea behind my legislation is very straightforward and simple,” Conroy said. “If you break the (graffiti) law, or misbehave in class, you will be punished.

ASSEMBLY

Bill Introductions

* Rhino Bullets: AB 99 by Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco) would prohibit the sale in California of so-called rhino bullets, which can penetrate bulletproof vests commonly worn by law enforcement personnel and which explode upon contact with human flesh.

* State Budget: ACA 4 by Assemblyman Thomas M. Hannigan (D-Benicia) would permit the Legislature to approve the state budget by simple majority votes rather than two-thirds majority votes of the Assembly and the Senate.

SENATE

Bill Introductions

* School Tests: SB 76 by Sen. Ray Haynes (R-Riverside) would require high school students as part of their civics classes to read, understand and pass tests on the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers.

* Sex Offenders: SB 67 by Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino) would prohibit convicted sex offenders from coming within two miles of the grounds of a primary or secondary school.

* Campaign Reports: SB 68 by Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) would require the secretary of state to develop an electronic reporting system for election campaign committees to file candidates’ contribution and expenditure reports.

* School Buses: SB 83 by Sen. Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) would make it a misdemeanor for an unauthorized person to board a school bus.

* Voter Registration: SB 75 by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) would require county elections officials to cancel the registration of voters who fail to vote in two successive elections where federal offices are included on the ballot.