PENNSYLVANIA Lawmakers oppose plan to bar corporal punishment

Pennsylvania is one of 13 states that specifically permit paddling.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- At least a few state lawmakers oppose a state board of education proposal to ban corporal punishment, saying teachers and administrators shouldn't be forced to spare the rod if they think paddling is an effective way to make pupils behave.
The ban is part of a broader set of proposed regulation changes that were presented Tuesday to the House Education Committee. The committee is expected to vote Jan. 7 on whether to support the revised regulations, which govern discipline, pupil records, rights and responsibilities, and pupil services.
Similar bans have been adopted in 28 other states, and Pennsylvania is one of 13 that explicitly allows corporal punishment, said Edith Isacke, a state board member who leads a committee that endorsed the ban.
Parents surprised
Although current regulations allow an exception for pupils whose parents notify school officials that they object to paddling, many parents think such punishment is already outlawed in Pennsylvania and are surprised when their children are subjected to it, Isacke said.
"Our public schools are the last publicly operated institutions where corporal punishment is permitted. The board believes it is time to end this practice," she said.
For 1999-2000, the most recent years for which data are available, 407 pupils were struck in Pennsylvania, a very small fraction of the state's 1.8 million public school pupils, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Defenders of paddling
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, said the proposed ban would erode local districts' control over setting disciplinary policy and would restrict the ability of schools to maintain order in the classroom.
"I think you're going to do harm to the policy that school districts are able to set and give them less leverage," he said.
When administered appropriately, paddling can effectively keep pupils who are disobedient or openly defiant in line without harming them in the long term, said Rep. Samuel Rohrer, R-Berks.
"I experienced a spanking or two in my early elementary school years, and I'm sure a lot of you have. ... I can't look back and say that it was negative," he said.
But defining appropriateness is problematic, said Isacke, who added that she has heard several anecdotes of what she considered to be extreme situations, such as a pupil in Warren County who was paddled in front of his classmates for forgetting his homework.
The new policy would allow teachers and administrators to use "reasonable force" under specific circumstances, such as self-defense or restraining a pupil.
"If you want to quell a disturbance, fine ... but you can't paddle them for minor infractions," Isacke said.