Its Paul:
I hope all is well.
For ‘American Way,’ and any other interested folk, I found this in my collection of U.S school paddling incidents. I have it in my ‘True Incidents’ file. The student is Marisa Fletcher. I did enter her name in the search here, but nothing came up, so I assume it’s not been on here before (???).
I found and saved it to my file on 27th December 2009.
Have a read, folks, and see what you think.
Best wishes,
Paul.
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WASHBURN, Mo. —
A mother admits her daughter deserved punishment for breaking a rule but says the high school principal went too far.
The Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services is investigating a series of swats at Southwest High School. The incident ended with Marisa Fletcher being treated at a hospital emergency room. That came after this Honor Society sophomore thought she was doing the right thing in accepting punishment for having a cellular telephone, which was not in use, sitting on her lap in class.
“I try to be the best student, but everyone messes up once in a while,” said Marisa.
Willing to take the paddling punishment on Friday, the 15-year-old student didn’t know the swats would leave marks that she says were still visible on Monday.
“Parents sign a waiver form to allow the swats,” said Doug Lawyer, superintendent of the Southwest School District.
“I never would have allowed the swats if I knew there’d be physical harm,” said Laura Fletcher, Marisa’s mother.
The Southwest School Board adopted swats as a form of corporal punishment in 2003. It was revised a year later. The superintendent says this is the first complaint against the paddling.
“We’ve had no problem,” said Lawyer.
Laura Fletcher and a teacher witnessed the swats by the high school principal.
“He took both hands and raised them up and, like a full golf swing, came down, forcing her forward, and before I could say ‘Jesus’, he hit her again,” said Fletcher.
The firm eye-opening punishment that the Fletchers thought Marisa would receive was a firm slap.
“There’s no way to gauge how hard a swat should be,” said Lawyer.
Marisa said the pain was so severe that she was taken to the hospital.
“There were one-inch deep welts; she was starting to bruise,” said Fletcher.
The Fletchers believe the corporal punishment measure should be re-evaluated by the school board, and the principal should be reprimanded. Lawyer has not taken action against the principal, and has no plans to ask the school board to revise the policy.
“This has nothing to do with me. I just don’t want anyone else hurt,” said Marisa.
Lawyer says the principal will not perform any swattings while the Children’s Division and the Barry County Sheriff’s Department investigate this incident. The Missouri State Teachers Association says there’s no state law regarding paddling. Each school district’s board votes on its own type of punishments.
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Thank you.
Paul.
It’s Paul again.
May I add that I do not recall where I found the Marisa Fletcher incident, but it’s source was a character called, wait for it:
‘Blissfullybusy’
Anybody heard of that name?
Paul
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2015holyfamilypenguin4,32069
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marathon829123
Thank you.
My thinking is perhaps Corpun is where ‘Blissfullybusy’ found it.
Best wishes,
Paul
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dane40520
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CathyG22730
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stujos21920
I remember one of the only two occasions I was whacked at grammar school (both unfair, I hasten to add). It was in gym, and the PE master, a man who loved inflicting pain, decided that the class was making too much noise, so we all had to bend over. He used one of the climbing ropes which he knotted at the end. I watched as the others got their one stroke, and it actually seemed fairly gentle. When it was my turn, I found it wasn’t. When we inspected our wounds afterwards, I can only describe it as a burn mark, like we’d been scalded. I was not one of those causing the disturbance, only a few were, but we all had to suffer for the common good!
