In order to establish and maintain an educational climate conducive to learning, the Board permits reasonable corporal punishment of students in the schools of the School System.
Teachers shall be supported by the Board and administration in their efforts to teach good citizenship by requiring proper conduct. While teachers shall be reasonable in student-related demands, they need not tolerate disrespectful, boisterous, rough, and violent outbursts of language and temper on the part of students.
In all cases, corporal punishment shall be administered in accordance with the following guidelines:
1.
In cases where a student maintains innocence of the
offense, a brief but adequate statement of the reasons and supporting evidence
shall be given orally to the student with an opportunity for the student to
explain his/her sides of the situation.
Based upon all facts, if the situation warrants it, corporal punishment
may then be administered without delay
(see Due Process policy JCAA).
2. The use of corporal punishment should follow specific failures of other corrective measures to improve student behavior. Teachers should be prepared to provide information concerning alternate corrective measures used.
3. A teacher or principal may punish corporally only in the presence of a teacher or administrator (preferably the same sex as the offender), who should be informed beforehand of the reasons for the punishment.
4. The instrument used corporal punishment should be wisely selected.
5. Corporal punishment should not include more than three (3) licks administered to the buttocks. Other forms of corporal punishment are not permitted in the schools of the School System.
6. Utmost care, tact and judgment shall be exercised, and all cases of corporal punishment shall be documented by both the person administering the punishment and the witness and delivered to the principal. Such documentation shall be submitted by the end of the day the incident occurred.
7. School principals or teachers who have administered corporal punishment shall provide the student’s parents or guardians, upon request, a written explanation of the reason(s) and the name of the witness.
8. Corporal punishment shall be administered in the office of the principal or in such place or places as may be designated by the principal.
9. Corporal punishment shall not be administered in the visual presence of other students.
10. Those administering corporal punishment shall consider the age, size, sex, and overall physical condition of the student.
11. Corporal punishment shall not be administered in anger or with malice.
Prior to administering corporal punishment to a special education student, said student’s IEP committee shall be convened to determine if the student’s behavior warranting such punishment is related to the handicap or to determine if the proposed discipline measure is appropriate based on the IEP. In the event it is determined that the student’s behavior is not related to the handicap or if the IEP specifies corporal punishment as an appropriate disciplinary measure, the student shall be treated as any other student and corporal punishment may be administered. However, upon convening the IEP committee, should it be determined that the handicapping condition is related to the student's behavior or the IEP does not specify corporal punishment as an appropriate disciplinary measure, corporal punishment shall not be administered to the student.
SOURCE: Tuscaloosa County Board of Education, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
ADOPTED: March 9, 1992
LEGAL REF.: The Code of Alabama, 16-1-14; U. S. Const. Amend. XIII; U. S. Const. Amend. XIV sl; Ingrham v. Wright 97 S. Ct. 1401, (1977); Jones v. Palmer, 421 F. Supp. 738 (S.D. Ala. 1976); Baker v. Owen 96 S. Ct. 210 affirming 395 F. Supp. 294 (M.D.N.C., 1975).