




This guest post comes to us from a staunch advocate in support of removing corporal punishment as an option for discipline under state education laws. Julie Worley is President of Tennesseans for Non-Violent School Discipline. Her full bio follows the op-ed.
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Tennesseans for Non-Violent School Discipline hosted a National Protest Against School Corporal Punishment of Students at the Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday, April 5, 2012.
The coach is no longer employed by the school, is facing criminal charges and two civil rights attorneys are bringing a federal lawsuit against responsible parties.





I recently found out that my 5year old grandson in Kindergarten had been paddled several times in the principal’s office.an instructor informed me during a CPI refresher workshop (non violent physical intervention)that this form of corporal punishment had been outlawed for several years in TN. When I told her the name of the Wilson County school her comment was:”I’m not surprised”.When classroom management policies are ineffective and a student has to be sent to the principal’s office this sends a red flag,especially when he had been diagnosed with ADHD previously. This would be a good time to involve a behavior specialist,and /or a counselor to set up an individualized behavior plan with school and parents. Paddling as a consequence for loss of self-control in an ADHD child will only make him dislike school;use POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION and/or meds,if necessary.