Corpun file 26580 at www.corpun.com
katc.com (KATC-TV), Lafayette, Louisiana, 6 June 2017
New law forbids corporal punishment for some kids
BATON ROUGE - Public school students with certain exceptionalities will be shielded from paddling and spanking for misbehavior, under a bill that received final passage from Louisiana lawmakers, according to the Associated Press.
Children affected include those who have a special education IEP -- except those labeled as gifted or talented -- and those who qualify for services under Section 504, which is the law which requires school districts to provide extra services to students diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia and other physical or mental conditions which "substantially" affect their ability to learn. School districts are now forbidden from using corporal punishment on any student who meets those criteria. The ban does not include the use of restraint when a student might hurt himself or others.
The corporal punishment prohibition measure by Rep. Franklin Foil, a Baton Rouge Republican, was sent to the governor with an 89-0 vote Tuesday. Gov. John Bel Edwards supports the bill as part of his legislative agenda and will sign it into law.
Passage of Foil's bill came after House lawmakers rejected a broader proposal banning all corporal punishment across school districts. Critics said local school boards should continue to make that decision on disciplinary methods for students without exceptionalities, not the state.
The state school boards association says 38 of Louisiana's 69 public school districts allow schools to use corporal punishment.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Corpun file 26592 at www.corpun.com
kplctv.com (KPLC7-TV), Lake Charles, Louisiana, 16 June 2017
Jeff Davis Parish bans corporal punishment
By Candy Rodriguez
Reporter
JENNINGS, LA (KPLC) -- It was a unanimous decision by the Jeff Davis Parish School Board at Thursday night's meeting: no more spanking and paddling for misbehavior.
"It's a topic we had been discussing for a while with our administrators, our teachers," said Superintendent Kirk Credeur. "It just didn't quite align with what we wanted to do."
And recently, state lawmakers passed a bill which would ban corporal punishment practices for certain students.
Children with disabilities, including those eligible for 504 services, but excluding gifted students, would be shielded from paddling and spanking.
The bill now awaits the governor's signature.
Credeur said several schools in the Jeff Davis Parish District had already decided to simply not practice corporal punishment procedures and instead use a different system.
"Positive behavior programs that we have and these are things where students can earn rewards by complying with the correct behavior," he said.
The changes will go into effect at the beginning of this upcoming school year.
Recently, there has also been an ongoing conversation about an overall ban on corporal punishment throughout the state, but critics believe school districts should be left to decide whether they want to practice it or not.
Copyright KPLC 2017. All rights reserved.
