Changes could be on the way for corporal punishment in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New legislation is working to change corporal punishment in Florida.

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Action News Jax showed you our in-depth investigation on spanking in schools, just last week. It’s perfectly legal in Florida and teachers don’t need a parent to consent.

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“For years, the lack of a requirement that parental consent be achieved before school corporal punishment happens, has led to numerous instances where a parent didn’t want anything to do with school corporal punishment. But, it happened anyway,” Graham Bernstein said.

Bernstein is the Director of Political Affairs for the University of Florida student policy forum. He assisted in writing and researching this bill, sponsored by Representative Katherine Waldron and Senator Geraldine Thompson. They’re pushing to change the law to require parental consent and do away with paddling for students who have disabilities.

We spoke with educators about the use of corporal punishment in the classroom.

“I had had my training at the Harrell Child Development center in Waycross, how to do it with your toes pigeon toed--you know-- and so it’s safe for the child,” Pat Henderson said. She taught in Ware, Brantley, Nassau and Duval counties over the course of her twenty year teaching career.

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She said she would paddle students who didn’t do their homework or students whose grades slipped, during her time in Georgia in the 80s.

“it’s needed today but you have to do with understanding and patience,” Henderson said.

Theresa Rulien is the CEO of the Child Guidance Center for Duval County. She holds a PhD in family therapy and said corporal punishment is not effective.

“I think it defiantly instills fear and as a child gets older it really instills disrespect, because you are harming me you are hurting me,” Rulien said.

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To see which counties in Florida still use corporal punishment and how often it’s used each school year, watch our full investigation.

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