State Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, complained this week that his bill to provide liability protection for spanking in Kansas schools was the "most misunderstood" of the session — doomed, he said, by newspaper editorials that implied he wanted to spank every kid in the state.
We’d like to take credit for the demise of this legislation. But it wasn’t just editorial writers who thought Journey’s bill was a waste of time. There was little visible support for it from other lawmakers or from parents and teachers. And there was zero support from school districts.
So did everyone misunderstand the bill?
School discipline is a problem. But Kansas school officials don’t think corporal punishment is a needed tool. That’s the bottom line on why this bill went nowhere.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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18 Comments
It failed because it was a stupid idea. I’m one of the first to admit that most children in this country need some major discipline, BUT I also don’t want some stranger spanking my child (if I had any) because they don’t think he acted right. They can talk to me and I’ll do that. The law that needs to be proposed is something that makes it alright to spank a child within reason so that everyone isn’t afraid of being charged with child abuse.
hum…..
the idea of spanking back in schools is an interesting one…
I am the first to say use capitol punishment in regards to my own kids… But do I want my kid’s teacher doing it? I don’t know…
Thinking back on some of the teachers I had in school, a few of them I wouldn’t mind but a few I definitely wouldn’t want them to, for what ever reason or another.
One major one is the idea of how someone would get spanked. Imagine an 8 year old girl lying across a male teachers lap. I mean come on.
So, on this one, I think PJ has it wrong. I like him on most things, but I think this is a bit out there even for him.
capitol punishment – i.e. the death penalty. That would apply to YOU Tony, corporal punishment for the kids.
Back to topic – if teacher and parent get together and agree we do this anyway. And that would tend to address Tony’s concerns.
Capitol, Corporal… All the same in my house… ;-)
No, i believe that some of these teachers need to get a bit more strict, and i think its a parent on teacher decision on what to do with the kids.
I would like to see a permission slip system where parents sign an authorization for teachers to spank their children. I’m all for my teacher spanking my kids. Serves them right.
It’s been a while since I was in school, but I did notice one thing while I was there- the good teachers never had discipline problems. They kept our attention. The ones with problems never had that much to teach anyway.
This was a horrible idea doomed to fail. If any teacher ever spanked my children, they would need 24/7 armed bodyguards for the rest of their lives. The only thing that would end the long, slow torture would be the eventual death of that teacher. Nobody will ever lay a hand on my child and live to talk about it.
steve- You sound a little prone to overstatement.
You also sound like one who the teachers call “non-supportive”.
Speaking of Phil Journey:
Where are all the stories of carnage and mayhem and chaos in the streets from the new conceal/carry law? Is the Eagle not telling us everything?
Tony – in your case the only question was “2×4 or tire iron?”
States that allow corporal punishment:In LibWorld, they would use this as an argument for it.
AlabamaArizonaArkansasColoradoDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMississippiMissouriNew MexicoNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasWyoming
Let’s spank the Kansas legislators (except for those that would enjoy it) for wasting time and money on this foolishness. Please don’t spank Phil, he looks like the type that would enjoy it.
Journey just can’t understand that he was seriously stupid to think this was a good idea or that it would have any support whatsoever. Why are the people so out of touch with people the ones elected?
Oh that’s right, we hunt down any who might have some life experiences with skeletons in their closets….that’s why.
Fleetsenema, do you have any freaking clue what you talk about half the time? Not everything you disagree with is liberal.
There was an interesting article in the USA today about how since the assault weapons ban expired, more police departments are wanting to buy bigger and better firepower to combat all the ones on the streets now.
Where’s the discussion on that?
Thanks for the list, Peckerwood.
Now, correlate those states to educational acheivement.
Bottom of the barrel . . .
I got spanked in school in Kansas. I was spanked many times at Sunnyside School during the years I went there! The Principal used a big paddle on our asses!
Georgia only allows it if the school calls the parents and they OK it first and the big districts here do not allow it at all.
Corporal punishment is a really neanderthal idea.
Elementary teachers physically paddle young kids.”The powerful can inflict pain on the weak”. So this sends a lesson to some of these kids to bully weaker students. Then by high school, some of them beat up teachers. They’re only logically carrying out the lessons they’ve learned. Including at home too, no doubt.
Corporal punishment has no place in a learning environment. What does it teach? “I hate teachers because they hurt me.” Great lesson.
My neighbor, John Valusek, is the only neighbor we have who has been on the Phil Donahue show twice. One time he debated the then, less powerful, Dobson on the value of hitting children. I thought John did a great job defending the rational position.
I heard Dr. Valusek lecturing on his position that people are not for hitting and a social worker asked, “Isn’t it okay to spank a child when you are under control and not mad?”
Valusek replied, “It might be a bit more honest to hit people when your are angry.”
Sort of shut down that whole digression…