Page 1 of 3

A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 5:26 pm
by ajax18
Florida principal caught on camera hitting 6-year-old girl with paddle

A Florida elementary school principal is under investigation for whacking a 6-year-old girl with a paddle in a shocking incident that was captured on video by the student’s mom, according to a local report.

Melissa Carter, head of Central Elementary School in Clewiston, was filmed bending the child over and hitting her several times with the wooden paddle, local outlet WINK-TV reported.

“The hatred with which she hit my daughter, I mean it was a hatred that, really I’ve never hit my daughter like she hit her,” the girl’s mom told the TV station in Spanish. “I had never hit her.”

The mom, who wasn’t named in the report, said she was called by the school on April 13 because her daughter had apparently caused about $50 worth of damage to a computer.

She went to the school to pay the fee — but was sent to the principal’s office, where she found her child with Carter and a school clerk, according to the report.

Then “the principal started to scream,” the tearful mom said.

The parent looked around and got nervous after noticing a lack of surveillance cameras.

“What are we doing in this place? My daughter and I, alone,” the mom said she wondered.

So she hid her phone in her purse and decided to record the brutal punishment — fearing that authorities wouldn’t believe her otherwise.

“Nobody would have believed me,” the mom told the outlet. “I sacrificed my daughter, so all parents can realize what’s happening in this school.”

She took her daughter to a doctor later that day to document the red marks and bruises caused by the paddle, the report said.

“I’m going to get justice for my daughter because if I could not do it in front of her, I’m going to do it with justice,” the woman said.

The Clewiston Police Department and the Department of Children and Families confirmed to the outlet that they are investigating the incident.

The State Attorney’s Office is weighing whether to bring criminal charges against Carter and the clerk, according to Bret Provinsky, a lawyer for the family.

“That’s aggravated battery,” said Provinsky, an attorney who works with undocumented immigrants. “They’re using a weapon that can cause severe physical harm.”

“The child is terrified, she feels vulnerable. There’s nothing she can do in the hands of these adults, who treated her so brutally, savagely, sadistically,” he added.

Neither Carter nor the school district returned requests for comment from the outlet.

https://nypost.com/2021/05/02/florida-p ... th-paddle/

What's your opinion of this Jersey Girl?

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 5:43 pm
by Res Ipsa
Clarence Thomas approves.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 5:46 pm
by ajax18
Res Ipsa wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 5:43 pm
Clarence Thomas approves.
Do you think the parent will get any monetary damages from the taxpayer?

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 6:37 pm
by Res Ipsa
ajax18 wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 5:46 pm
Res Ipsa wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 5:43 pm
Clarence Thomas approves.
Do you think the parent will get any monetary damages from the taxpayer?
No idea. Corporal punishment is still legal in Florida. I didn't find anything that describes the policy at that school or in the district. Frankly, corporal punishment is stupid, because what it teaches the child is that, as long as you are big and strong enough, it's okay to assault someone else.

The district is undoubtedly insured, likely under some kind of risk pool. It may provisions that deal specifically with corporal punishment. If there's coverage, the taxpayers already paid through the premiums.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 6:59 pm
by ajax18
I didn't find anything that describes the policy at that school or in the district.
From the article in the New York Post
Hendry County School District policy does not allow corporal punishment, the report said.
Frankly, corporal punishment is stupid, because what it teaches the child is that, as long as you are big and strong enough, it's okay to assault someone else.
I don't get why the mother just sat and watched this when she was called in. Why didn't she say I don't consent to this if she disagreed?
The district is undoubtedly insured, likely under some kind of risk pool. It may provisions that deal specifically with corporal punishment. If there's coverage, the taxpayers already paid through the premiums.
Premiums tend to go up when you make claims.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 7:37 pm
by Res Ipsa
ajax18 wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 6:59 pm
I didn't find anything that describes the policy at that school or in the district.
From the article in the New York Post
Hendry County School District policy does not allow corporal punishment, the report said.
Frankly, corporal punishment is stupid, because what it teaches the child is that, as long as you are big and strong enough, it's okay to assault someone else.
I don't get why the mother just sat and watched this when she was called in. Why didn't she say I don't consent to this if she disagreed?
The district is undoubtedly insured, likely under some kind of risk pool. It may provisions that deal specifically with corporal punishment. If there's coverage, the taxpayers already paid through the premiums.
Premiums tend to go up when you make claims.
Who knows. Maybe she was told her consent wasn’t required. Maybe she wasn’t aware of the district’s Corporal policy. Maybe she was just shocked and didn’t know what to do.

As the principal acted against District policy, it’s probably relevant as to whether the principal has done this before, if so, whether the district was aware, if so, what the district had done to address the situation, and how the district had informed the principal of the policy.

Whether the District has to pay depends on all kinds of stuff, including case law.

Premiums are set in the anticipation that there will be claims. Whether the premiums are raised depends on the size and nature of the claim.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:27 pm
by ajax18
As the principal acted against District policy, it’s probably relevant as to whether the principal has done this before, if so, whether the district was aware, if so, what the district had done to address the situation, and how the district had informed the principal of the policy.
Do you think the principal should be fired, given that she violated the districts policy on corporal punishment? Should she be allowed to be a principal in another school?

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:33 pm
by Res Ipsa
ajax18 wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 8:27 pm
As the principal acted against District policy, it’s probably relevant as to whether the principal has done this before, if so, whether the district was aware, if so, what the district had done to address the situation, and how the district had informed the principal of the policy.
Do you think the principal should be fired, given that she violated the districts policy on corporal punishment? Should she be allowed to be a principal in another school?
I don’t have an opinion based on what’s in the newspaper. I would hope the District would do an investigation and then base their decisions on that.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:55 pm
by ajax18
It's funny that this seems so outrageous to me now. This was pretty standard procedure when I was in grade school. Thankfully I was smart enough to avoid it.

Re: A paddling at Central Elementary School

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:58 pm
by Res Ipsa
ajax18 wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 8:55 pm
It's funny that this seems so outrageous to me now. This was pretty standard procedure when I was in grade school. Thankfully I was smart enough to avoid it.
You and me both.