The Cumberland County Board of Education will vote on changes to their current corporal punishment policy Thursday night.
Currently, principals send paperwork home with students the first week of school concerning the policy. Guardians must check "yes" or "no" on whether they approve of corporal punishment for their child, if actions warrant.
The new change would place full responsibility on parents. Students would no longer carry the form home.
The addition reads: "In order to be excluded from corporal punishment it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to obtain an exclusion form and submit to the principal of the school within two weeks of enrollment. If corporal punishment is refused, the student will be directed to three (3) days in-school suspension or three (3) Saturday School assignments at the principal's discretion."
The school district's policy committee wrote and passed the new version and is sending it to the full Board of Education. The policy committee believes paperwork will be saved. They also said corporal punishment policies vary school to school within their system. They hope the proposed change creates uniformity.
School begins before a second reading could occur. Therefore, if approved, the new paddling plan would start the next school year.