Florida state attorney says no crime was committed by principal in the paddling of a 6-year-old

[diehardblue]

The Florida State Attorney conducted a review and found no evidence school Principal Melissa Carter had committed a crime, according to a memo to Clewiston Police Department dated May 7.

However, Probinsky argues that the State Attorney's office used flawed legal analysis to reach its decision.

In his memo, Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham R. Thornburg said school staff member Celia Self had called the child's mother to inform her she would be charged after her daughter apparently intentionally damaged computer equipment.
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The phone call appeared to have been conducted in Spanish, he said. According to Self's statement, the mother said that her daughter had also been damaging things at home and that she was "afraid to discipline her by spanking, because her daughter threatens to call the police and DCF."

"Ms. Self further stated that (the mother) then requested that the school spank the child for her, to which Ms. Self replied that she would have to physically come to the school, specifically request such discipline, and be present during the spanking if she wished school staff to do it for her. According to both Ms. Carter and Ms. Self, (the mother) then arrived at the school and made that request," Thornbury wrote.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/09/us/florida-school-student-paddled-state-attorney/index.html

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. That mom needs better support than calling people up to hit her kid.

[hlthe2b]

2. So now parents can request physical abuse of their kids and that is fine?

Honestly. I can admit that there is not 100% consensus on the matter of a single open-handed spanking of very young children. I have friends that argue either way. But older kids where the physical act is only a tiny portion of the lasting public humiliation and embarrassment, much less abuse? Umm, no.

I hope the mother does get some compassionate help, though in addressing the issues going on with her child.

[exboyfil]

3. I remember in first grade in public school

in West Virginia (1969), they were still paddling kids. We lived in fear of it. I was a screw up but not a bad kid. Couldn't read a lick, but I knew to toss any notes the teacher sent home with me for my parents. I let a particular note go through that was with my report card. Boy was I in trouble after that.

My dad regularly spanked me. I really did some awful stuff as a kid, but it was not malicious. I am still trying to figure out why I did it, and whether the spanking was the cause or the correction. My dad's spankings (he used a belt) were epic. I didn't have to do any of that with my daughters.

[Haggard Celine]

4. I wonder if it worked, or has the kid

continued to destroy shit? It doesn't sound like much of a spanking, really. The girl wasn't severely damaged, at least not physically. She needed to be disciplined, though. If the mother wanted the girl to be spanked, she should have done it herself, however.

[Beatlelvr]

5. Why isn't this battery?

Does the child have no rights?

[Haggard Celine]

7. Kids have rights, of course, but parents

are responsible for their kids’ behavior. Sometimes a spanking will get through to a kid that they need to change their behavior and when nothing else seems to work. As long as the spanking isn’t excessive, I think it should be legal.

[NoRethugFriends]

13. Yeh, continue the pattern. Really good plan.

[Deuxcents]

8. This county

Says there is to be no corporal punishment..spanking/padding. There needs to be advocates for situations like this so there’s no language barrier. This child was hit 3 times..how is this ok?

[LisaL]

9. The second woman was translating for the mother.

Sounds to me like mom requested it, then videoed, it, got a lawyer, and started claiming she was confused because of language barrier.

[Haggard Celine]

12. That's what it looks like to me, too.

[USALiberal]

6. Are you serious? Nt

[Haggard Celine]

10. I don't know what I would do if I had a child,

but if she was destroying things like this child was and no other punishment seemed to be effective, I would consider spanking her. If it’s done, it should be a last resort, after having the child counseled with. Some kids are hard-headed and the only way to get through to them is with a spanking. I was spanked numerous times and it didn’t ruin my life, but it did help me think about what I had done.

[NoRethugFriends]

14. It apparently didn't help you to think clearly

[Treefrog]

11. That woman has no business in education.

Period. I remember paddling at my elementary went the way of the Dodo soon after I left. Even when I was there, they had rules about it. Only boys could be paddled. Usually only boys had committed whatever “horrid” crime resulted in such a barbaric punishment.

[Akacia]

15. I have worked with children for many,many,years

and in my opinion all a spanking does is teach children that might makes right. That the answer to some problems is violence. I use this as an example when discussing this with parents. Mom says, "Johnny stop hitting your sister." Johnny hits his sister and, "Whack!" What was that child just taught? Possibly that when you are bigger and frustrated using violence is okay? Parents sometimes need to learn better ways to discipline their children. There is a difference between punishment and discipline afterall.

[mitch96]

16. And it would be a crime if someone held down the teacher and paddled her?? uff....nt