Major Disputes Over Corporal Punishment

Remember the days when unruly kids at school were punished with a good old-fashioned swat on the behind? Those days may soon be here again if an Orange County legislator has his way.

Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) has proposed bringing corporal punishment back to California schools after a decade-long absence, alarming many people but also winning praise from those who believe a good spanking can do a child good.

“Today, kids are getting away with everything,” said Lisa Van Tassell, whose child attends Jeane Thorman Elementary in Tustin. “Something’s got to be done to get children’s respect back. As long as the paddling is well supervised and doesn’t go overboard, I would support it.”

Kids, however, gave a thumbs-down to the idea.

“If it happened to me, I would go right to the phone and call my mom or dad, and I know they wouldn’t like it,” said Portia Moss, a seventh-grader at A.G. Currie Middle School in Tustin.

The corporal punishment bill has advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee after clearing the Education Committee on Wednesday. Since 1986, state public school educators have been banned from using corporal punishment, the moderate use of physical force by a teacher or principal to maintain discipline.

But Conroy’s bill and his companion measure that calls for paddling of juvenile graffiti vandals have been embraced this year by Republicans, who hold a majority in the Assembly. They see the return of spanking and other forms of assertive discipline as a return to basic education practices.

The corporal punishment bill would not require school districts to reinstate paddling but would allow schools to adopt corporal punishment policies if they choose. Under the provisions of the bill, school employees could paddle students only if another adult is present and if they get prior written permission from a parent.

“Mickey’s appalled by all the violence going on in public schools and believes the violence has skyrocketed since corporal punishment was banned,” said Patrick Joyce, an aide to Conroy. “He believes corporal punishment is one thing that can be used to restore discipline and give kids a sense of accountability.”

Some people, however, are appalled that California could return to the days when a teacher or principal could whack a disobedient student for mouthing off, getting into a fight or engaging in other naughty behavior. Some educators said that even if the state allows them to administer corporal punishment, they have no plans to do so.

“I’m a 20-year veteran of the Marines, but even I don’t see paddling as being able to solve any problems,” said Charles Milligan, principal at Spring View Middle School in Huntington Beach. “If we brought it back, I don’t think it would change anything.”

But other school officials say corporal punishment has its merits and a place at school, as long as parents give their consent.

“A lot of times, if the punishment is swift and brings the issue to a conclusion, it can be effective,” said Tom Meiss, varsity football coach at Foothill High in Tustin. “I have no doubt or reservation saying it’s an effective form of discipline, but I’m just not sure how parents would feel. A lot of parents probably spank their own children, but they may not be anxious to have someone else do it.”

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While some parents support the idea of corporal punishment, others fear educators would abuse their rights to spank a child.

“I can’t even imagine a responsible adult thinking of reinstating paddling,” said Sueanne Pacini, a parent at Andersen Elementary in Newport Beach. “I don’t think corporal punishment belongs in the school or in the home. . . . What a waste of time and money to put a bill like this through.”

While walking home from Currie Middle School, seventh-grader Cecilia Davis cringed at the thought of being whacked at school.

“No one should be able to hit you except your parents,” Cecilia said. “I think if teachers started hitting kids, some kids would hit the teacher back.”

Wendy Flores, an eighth-grader at Currie, said she would rather be suspended than spanked.

“I think it’s embarrassing to be hit in front of the class and have marks on your body,” she said.

Don Keller, principal at Kazuo Masuda Middle School in Fountain Valley, remembers paddling students while he was an administrator with the Long Beach Unified School District in the early 1980s.

“I had mixed emotions about it then,” he said. “At the time we were using swats for everything from truancy to other infractions. With some kids, it was effective. For others, it was not.”

Keller, who also was paddled in school, believes reinstating corporal punishment wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, although he knows it is not regarded as the politically correct way to discipline students.

“People who are pro-corporal punishment are seen as Neanderthals,” he said. “If it were returned to the schools, I would use it sparingly because it’s something that could be abused.”