Request for clarification on Leslie Elementary Student Handbook statements

[stopschoolpaddling]

Dear Mrs. Patti Bohannon (Principal of Leslie Elementary School in Leslie, Arkansas),
Mr. Andrew Vining (Leslie Elementary School Superintendent of Searcy County School District),
and all respected school board members of Searcy County School District,
I received a copy of the Leslie Elementary School Handbook yesterday
and I have some questions regarding it.

First of all, on page 25, under the heading Corporal Punishment it
states that "If such punishment is "required" it will be administered
with "tact"."

# 1, Given that the definition for "required" is to claim as a right
(Webster's Dictionary) Who or what gives you the right to strike a
child with a wooden board?" By what authority?

# 2, Given that the definition for "tact" is "fine understanding and
nice discernment with delicate skill in saying or doing the right
thing" (Webster's Dictionary) Please explain to me in "fine" detail
how you are "delicately striking children on the buttocks with a
wooden board?

On this same page of the handbook it states that "Corporal punishment
will be administered in the office of the principal or other
designated place."
# 3, What is the "other designated place"?

On this same page of the handbook it states that "the principal or his
or her designee will administer corporal punishment".
# 4, Who are the designees and/or what is required to be one?

On this same page of the handbook it states that "consideration will
be given as to the age of child, sex of child, and size of child."
# 5, How is this done without being discriminatory? What exactly is
the true meaning of this statement? What are the "considerations"
that are being made?

On this same page of the handbook it states that "School principal or
teacher who has admininstered corporal punishment" ect.
# 6, Am I right to assume that the principal and any teacher may
administer corporal punishment? Where do the principal and teachers
become certified to perform this duty? Who is monitoring their
qualifications for performing corporal punishment?

On this same page of the handbook it states that "It is the policy of
Leslie Elementary that parents are not to witness corporal punishment.
# 7, Why not?

On this same page of the handbook it states that " The Searcy County
School Board of Education does allow "reasonable" corporal punishment
of students.
# 8 What is the difference between reasonable and unreasonable
corporal punishment? Please describe in detail how these two differ.

Moving on to page 26 of your handbook, under the heading of Weapons
and Dangerous Instruments it states that you define a weapon as " any
instrument capable of causing bodily harm."

# 9, Please refer to the pictures at www.nospank.net/a7-05.pdf and
explain why by your own definition you are using weapons on children's
bodies? After that please explain this statement from page 5 listed
under Searcy County School District Staff Responsibilities. "Maintain
a positive and safe learning environment." In light of the above
facts how is this achieved?

On page 23 under the heading "Prohibited Conduct" it states that
"willfully and intentionally assaulting or threatening to assault or
physically abusing any student or school employee" is prohibited.
# 10, Is this prohibited for students and staff or just students?

And lastly on page 14 it states that "bullying is defined as any
written or verbal expression or PHYSICAL ACT OR GESTURE or pattern
thereof that is intended to cause distress or fear upon one or more
students." It then states that "Bullying is prohibited."

#11- Please explain how striking a child on the buttocks with a wooden
board does not cause distress or fear and explain in detail why it
is permitted, modeled, and promoted by school staff and then
prohibited by children. Please explain why it is called "bullying"
when a child does this and not when your staff commits this act.

Your prompt attention and response to this letter is requested.
Failure to respond in a timely manner will result in the assumption
that you can not produce the answers to these questions. Please note
that any answers you give to these questions will be publicly displayed and
distributed.

(Sent via email yesterday at 11:41 am. Humm, not a word yet!!!)

[mzteris]

1. I think someone needs to bring suit against the school district.

Maybe the ACLU would be interested?

Wouldn't beating your child be a violation of your and their rights? Maybe even being in an environment where you know your friends are being beaten is a violation of your rights?

[stopschoolpaddling]

4. I was threatened by the principal.

The principal tryed to intimidate me by telling me that a group of teachers at the school were considering hiring a lawyer to sue me for slander. (Wow they knew I was back in town even before I did. I handed out a few flyers that tell the real truth about corporal punishment.)

They say I am speading untruths about them in the community. I filed a police report. I say who needs "untruths" the truth is ugly enough around here!

Good grief, they refused to distribute my "denial of corporal punishment" to all of the staff and won't sign them and show they received them. Oh and my request to photograph the paddle that was shown to my son last year by his Kindergarten teacher has been denied as well.

The principal told me "for some children it is the only way to get their attention." My son's ability to learn while at school was damaged and he is still having reaccurring nightmares from the incident. They refused to even apologize for the incident. They had my signed denial of corporal punishment on file but appartently that doesn't cover being threatened with it.

Every morning when I wake my son up for school he says "I don't want to go to school" and I say " I don't blame you."

[Hannah Bell]

5. according to her, she doesn't even live in arkansas.

[Ian David]

2. The "Other Designated Place"

On this same page of the handbook it states that "Corporal punishment
will be administered in the office of the principal or other
designated place."
# 3, What is the "other designated place"?

[Ian David]

3. Public schools actually still do this? n/t

[mzteris]

6. In TWENTY STATES!! n/t