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A spanking paddle is an implement used to strike a person on the buttocks. The act of spanking a person with a paddle is known as "paddling". A paddling may be for punishment (normally of a student at school in the United States), for fun (non-erotic or Erotic spanking), or as an initiation or hazing ritual. In the great majority of cases, the paddle is aimed at the recipient's buttocks; less commonly, the back of the thighs might also be targeted."The act of punishment is to be conducted in such a manner that the area of contact will lie between and include the buttocks and the back of the thigh". Student Handbook (2009), p. 19. Tipton County Schools, Tennessee. The sensation from the impact of a paddle is a sharp sting that quickly transitions to a deep ache.
Paddles for use in schools are made of wood, or occasionally plastic."Corporal punishment shall be administered using an instrument (paddle) made of wood or plastic of reasonable width, length, and thickness. (The paddle shall not be more than 1/4" x 3" x 18".)" Policy On Line: Student Discipline, p. 2. Tyler independent school District, Texas. Paddles used for school punishments may be roughly hewn from commonly available wood. Image of a roughly hewn schoolhouse paddle. The paddles used for fraternity and sorority initiation ceremonies are often professionally made and engraved with organizational symbols and slogans. Image of a decorated sorority paddle from a fictional spanking film.
Paddling typically causes a slight reddening of the skin but in some cases can cause that are "visible for approximately two weeks".Harrison, Mark. "Lawsuit filed over paddling incident". Times-Journal, DeKalb County, Alabama, 20 July 2011. Whether or not particular bruises constitute evidence of "serious injury" or "abuse" In re: C.B., J.B., Th.B., & Ti.B. , North Carolina Court of Appeals, 15 August 2006. or "child maltreatment" Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Shelly Holman , Arkansas Court of Appeals, 4 October 2006. depends on individual circumstances and can ultimately be settled only by a court of law.
There have been cases in the past when paddling was administered incorrectly or excessively. Partly in order to avoid this danger, in the majority of U.S. schools, paddling is more strictly regulated than in the past, many schools publishing detailed rules in their student handbooks. Corporal punishment regulations of individual schools or school districts (external links to present-day school handbooks) at World Corporal Punishment Research. It is usually a requirement that a professional witness be present. Currently, there is often a maximum of three swats (or "licks" or "pops"). In the past, paddlings of up to 30 "Paddling Charge Dropped; School Bell Rings Again". Evening Independent, 19 April 1960, p. 3-A. licks were not unknown, especially in rural schools. Practice has gradually moved from paddlings in the classroom or hallway to paddlings administered out of the sight of other students, typically in the principal's office. "Hallway" paddlings could typically be seen by other students, administrators or even outsiders visiting the school.
In 1981, a 17-year-old student claimed bleeding wounds as a result of a school paddling. Testimony of Shelly S. Gaspersohn at a meeting of the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, 17 October 1984. It was alleged that the assistant principal who had administered the punishment had held and swung the paddle with two hands. Gaspersohn v. Harnett County Board of Education and Glenn Varney; North Carolina Court of Appeals, Volume 75, page 34 (1985). In order to prevent such claims, a school district currently may choose to require the handle of a spanking paddle to be "just large enough for a normal one-hand grip".Santa Rosa County School District (2009). Code of Student Conduct, p. 59. Or a rule might provide that the handle shall not be more than long (just large enough to be held with one hand).Alexander City Schools (2010). Student/Parent Information Guide and Code of Conduct, 2009–2010 School Year, p. 47.
In 1982, a nine-year-old student was hit with a wooden paddle that was cracked. Garcia v. Miera. United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 28 April 1987. This caused a bleeding wound that became a permanent scar. To avoid this, nowadays some school districts have adopted rules which prohibit using paddles that have cracks in them. For example, the policies of Bloomfield School District provide that, "Corporal punishment will be administered by spanking the buttocks of a student with a flat-surfaced paddle which is smoothly sanded and has no cracks or holes and that will cause no more than temporary pain and not inflict permanent damage to the body."See the fifth paragraph of section J-4661 of the Policy Manual and Administrative Regulations of the Bloomfield School District, New Mexico.
A paddling is typically administered with two or more school employees present. The student may be ordered to bend over a chair"He a told her an to bend over a chair with her buttocks raised." Sacks, Deana Pollard (2009). "State Actors Beating Children: A Call For Judicial Relief". University of California Davis Law Review, 42, p. 1167. or desk"The force of the blow caused Bria to lose her grip on the desk and fall against it". Hyman, Irwin A, and Snook, Pamela A (1999). Dangerous Schools: What We Can Do About the Physical and Emotional Abuse of Our Children, p. 20. Jossey-Bass Publishers, New York, NY; , . and, in that position, receive the prescribed number of strokes of the paddle. Paddling usually occurs in an office but may sometimes occur in a hallway. The punishment is delivered across the seat of the student's trousers or skirt.
In order to avoid allegations of sexual abuse, many school districts require that a female teacher be present during the paddling of a female student.The Burke County Public Schools paddling policy provides that, "In the event of corporal punishment being administered to a female student, a female teacher shall at all times be present". A school might also recommend "that female staff members administer corporal punishment to female students (middle and high school)."St. Johns County School District (2010). Student Code of Conduct 2010–2011 , p. 34. Or a school board might prescribe that a "female principal(s) or designee shall spank or paddle female students" and that a "male principal(s) or designee shall spank or paddle male students." Chapel Hill ISD Board Amends Corporal Punishment Policy. Television station KYTX, 22 April 2009.
As of April 2023, 17 states allow corporal punishment in public schools. See School corporal punishment in the United States for further information.
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