A Georgia school has decided to bring back a controversial form of corporal punishment for students who misbehave: up to three âlicksâ with a wooden paddle.
Students who act out at the Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics in Hephzibah may now be asked to kneel in an office, behind closed doors, and receive strikes on their buttocks.
The schoolâs superintendent, Jody Boulineau, told local news station WKRC that bringing back padding is necessary for educators at the discipline-focused charter school.
âThere was a time when corporal punishment was kind of the norm in school and you didnât have the problems you have (now),â he said.
Boulineau says that paddling is not mandatory; parents must give their consent. However, those who donât receive paddling could face suspensions instead.
Boulineau says that some parents have been supportive of the move while others have said âoh my goodness, I canât believe youâre doing that.â
âHonestly, we feel that itâs something thatâs not going to be used very often,â Boulineau added. He said he hopes that the threat of it will act as a deterrent.