Dale County DA Asks Schools To Bring Back Paddling

DA Asks Schools To Bring Back Paddling
By Michelle Mann
When Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams said he would pursue reinstatement of corporal punishment in Ozark City Schools, he didn’t expect a standing ovation.
But that’s what he received from nearly 100 parents, counselors and educators attending a recent gang awareness seminar held at D.A. Smith Middle School.
“That’s the way this request got started,” Adams told city school board members at a meeting Aug. 9.
Adams told the board that during the seminar he had been asked about student behavior during school hours and had responded that he believed corporal punishment should be reinstated in Ozark schools. “From what I can best determine, our city schools are the only system in the surrounding area that does not have a corporal punishment policy.”
He said he discussed the issue with Ozark City Schools Superintendent Michael Lenhart and had followed up that discussion with a letter and a request to address the issue, including legal ramifications, at the convenience of the school board.
“It is my understanding that the Dale County School System has in place a procedure to administer corporal punishment,” Adams said. “There should be no reason why the Ozark City School System cannot follow that example.”
“As the district attorney, I see the need for corporal punishment in our schools,” Adams said. “Today’s students have no fear of causing trouble or disruptions in school.”
“Break detention does not provide any deterrent from starting a fight or disrupting a class,” he added. “As a student, I feared a paddling from (former principals) Robert Steed, Louie Tamplin or Larry Johnson.”
Lenhart said the current behavior policy is one in which corporal punishment could be incorporated. “I am not against that,” he said. “But it has to include training our administrators on how to administer it and include strict guidelines to be followed.”
He asked school administrators to email their thoughts on the matter to him and to school board members.
The board unanimously approved Lenhart’s request to research and draft a policy for their consideration. “This is new ground for us,” Lenhart said. “We will have to have very rigorous training.