By Jannette Pippin, Jacksonville Daily News
The use of spanking and paddling to discipline students may no longer be allowed in Onslow County schools.
The Onslow County Board of Education will consider the repeal of its policy on corporal punishment during the regular board meeting scheduled 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Blue Creek Elementary School.
While administered rarely, corporal punishment continues to be an option available to for disciplining students in the Onslow County school district.
According to annual reports from the State Board of Education on the use of corporal punishment in North Carolina schools, there was one instance in the Onslow County school district during the 2012-2013 school year and four in 2011-2012.
But North Carolina has seen as decline in the use of corporal punishment in its public schools; and if the school board follows the recommendation of school district staff, Onslow County will be the latest school district in the state to ban the practice.
The Onslow school board has discussed repealing the policy in past workshops and decided to wait until this summer to take up the issue before the start of the 2014-2015 school year, said Onslow County Schools Public Information Assistant Suzie Ulbrich.
“As OCS data shows, it has rarely been used as a method for managing student behavior. In the cases where it was used, it was used either at the request of the parent/guardian or with parental permission,” Ulbrich said. “The board had discussed repealing it in past workshops, due to the fact that it had been so rarely used and so few schools district continue to authorize it, even though it is permissible by law.”
NC Child, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing public policies that improve the lives of North Carolina children, published its own report on corporal punishment in public schools in North Carolina last year and found that Onslow County was one of only six school districts in the state that use corporal punishment as a form of discipline.
However, the report notes, only Robeson and Graham counties use the practice more than rarely.
In 2012-2013, there were 184 instances of corporal punishment used in North Carolina public schools, down nearly 50 percent from the previous year’s count of 404. Robeson led the state with 141 of the uses and Graham was the next highest with 31.
Reported cases in the other counties were few, with most using corporal punishment only once.
Rob Thompson, director of communications and network for the organization, said the practice is one they want to see eliminated in North Carolina.
“We don’t think it’s a very effective way of administering school discipline,” he said.
The group sent letters earlier this year to the school districts still using corporal punishment to enhance measures to protect students when it is used.
According to the NC Child report, North Carolina is one of 19 states that allow corporal punishment in public schools.
While state law allows it, whether to use it is up to the school district.
Thompson said they hope to see Onslow repeal its policy.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think (elimination of corporal punishment in the schools) will happen sooner rather than later,” he said.
There has been a notable decline in recent years, due in part to a law allowing parents to opt their children out of receiving corporal punishment.
The statewide total in 2010-2011 had dropped to 891, and 2011-2012 saw a further drop to 404.
In 101 districts, the local board prohibits the practice. In eight districts, the practice is allowed but the administration has chosen not to use it for many years.
In addition to considering the repeal of the corporal punishment policy, the school board will also consider revisions to the School Plan for Management of Student Behavior to reflect the repeal of corporal punishment.
Other items on the agenda include updates on Morton Elementary School’s refurbishment and a presentation on bus transportation routes.
Source: