FL: School Discipline Has Changed

Excerpt from Ocala.com:

By Joe Callahan
Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 7:08 a.m.

Three weeks ago, the Marion County School Board banned paddling from its menu of disciplinary measures in a move applauded by many educators, parents and disciplinary experts who say corporal punishment is less effective than methods that don't rely on force and intimidation.

They note that since the 1960s, educators enjoy a wider array of disciplinary tools tailored to address different kinds of student misconduct, including in-school suspension, alternative schools and deans of discipline.

But critics of the School Board's decision to abolish paddling say public school educators face more serious behavioral problems than ever before, and their ability to deal assertively with those problems has eroded over time.

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