| Here are a few words of caution to
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| | Web site:
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| parents who have children in schools that
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| use violent punishments, a.k.a. paddling.
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| | Florida Department of Education
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| They need to anticipate disingenuousness
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| | Capitol Building, Room PL 08
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| on the part of educators and
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| | Tallahassee, FL 32301
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| administrators who typically do not
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| | Tel.: (904) 487-1785 FAX: (904)488-1492
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| invite dialog with the public on this
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| | Web site:
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| topic. When drawn into discussions about
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| | Office of the State Superintendent of
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| "discipline," school officials are apt to
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| | Schools
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| trot out those familiar, well-rehearsed,
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| | Twin Towers East
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| stock responses, the purpose of which is
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| | Atlanta, GA 30334-5001
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| to divert criticism and lull parents.MYTH
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| | Tel.: (404) 657-0516
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| - Corporal punishment is used only after
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| | Web site:
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| all other means have failed and is
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| | Office of the Superintendent of Public
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| governed by strict guidelines.FACT - The
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| | Instruction
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| number of pupils beaten will always be
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| | Idaho Department of Education
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| grossly underestimated because school
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| | Len B. Jordan Office Building
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| administrators are savvy enough to AVOID
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| | 650 West State Street
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| saying things that might alarm the public
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| | P.O. Box 83720
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| or draw attention to themselves.
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| | Boise, ID 83720
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| Furthermore, What does 'strict
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| | Tel.: (208) 334-3300 FAX: (208) 334-2228
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| guidelines' mean? More often than not,
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| violent punishments are used as a first
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| | Web site:
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| response for trivial offenses.
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| | Office of the Superintendent of Public
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| Guidelines, where they exist at all,
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| | Instruction
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| exist more on paper than in practice. As
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| | Indiana Department of Education
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| a general rule, reliance on fear, force
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| | State House, Room 229
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| and violence in educational settings is
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| | Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798
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| inversely proportional to the level of
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| | Tel.: (317) 232-6665 FAX: (317) 232-8004
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| competence of the educators involved. The
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| least competent tend to be the most
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| | ideanet.doe.state.in.usKANSAS
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| violent. They are also the most resistant
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| to reform and most rejecting of other
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| | 120 South East Tenth Avenue
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| methods to correct unacceptable
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| | Topeka, KS 66612-1182
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| behavior.MYTH - Teachers' right to resort
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| | Tel.: (913) 296-3202 FAX: (913) 296-7933
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| to corporal punishment must be retained
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| because certain students can't be
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| | Web site:
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| controlled by any other means.FACT -
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| Violent punishment causes far more bad
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| | Kentucky Department of Education
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| behavior than it corrects, if it corrects
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| | Capitol Plaza Tower - 500 Mero Street
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| at all. The more some children are
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| | Frankfort, KY 40601
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| subject to educator violence, the more
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| | Tel.: (502) 564-3141 FAX: (502) 564-5680
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| misbehaved they become. The very act of
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| physical punishment destroys trust and
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| | Web site:
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| engenders hostility toward the
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| | Office of the Superintendent of
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| institution that is supposed to be
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| | Education
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| serving them. As for children who conform
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| | Louisiana Department of Education
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| outwardly due to fear of punishment, they
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| | 626 North 4th Street, 12th Floor
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| are receiving an education mainly in one
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| | Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
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| subject area: the abuse of power. Some of
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| | Tel.: (504) 342-3602 FAX: (504) 342-7316
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| them will put that lesson into practice
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| at the earliest opportunity.MYTH -
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| | Web site:
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| Well-behaved children have nothing to
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| | Office of the Superintendent of
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| worry about.FACT - Wherever pupil beating
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| | Education
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| is allowed, all children worry about it.
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| | State Department of Education
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| They know that punishers typically act on
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| | 550 High Street, Room 501
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| impulse and are rarely, if ever, called
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| | Jackson, MS 39201
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| upon to justify their actions before or
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| | Tel.: (601) 359-3512 FAX: (601) 359-3242
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| after the fact. A steady diet of fear and
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| anxiety impedes learning and, moreover,
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| | Web site:
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| is dangerous to children's health.MYTH -
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| This method of pupil management has been
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| | Missouri Department of Elementary
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| in use for many years and it is
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| | & Secondary Education
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| overwhelmingly supported by parents and
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| | 205 Jefferson Street, 6th Floor
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| the public.FACT - It is true that violent
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| | Jefferson City, MO 65102
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| pupil management has been used throughout
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| | Tel.: (572) 751-4446 FAX: (573) 751-1179
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| recorded history. But today, only the
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| most culturally backward places continue
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| | Web site: MEXICO
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| to use it. In almost the entire
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| | Office of the Superintendent of Public
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| democratic world, violent punishment of
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| | Instruction
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| schoolchildren is illegal, and nowhere is
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| | New Mexico Department of Education
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| it making a comeback. The dwindling
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| | Education Building
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| number of parents who approve of these
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| | 300 Don Gaspar
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| methods are themselves the products of
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| | Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786
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| such a system. Naturally, they feel
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| | Tel.: (505) 827-6688 FAX: (505) 827-6520
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| reassured when they see teachers at
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| school modeling the same bad behavior
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| | Web site: sde.state.nm.us/NORTH CAROLINA
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| that they use on their own children at
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| home. Violent parents and violent
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| | Office of the State Superintendent of
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| teachers alike delude themselves when
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| | Public Education
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| they claim that their methods are
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| | North Carolina Department of Public
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| universally approved.MYTH -- It
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| | Instruction
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| works.FACT -- If it worked, why do
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| | Education Building
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| punishers have to keep punishing? And why
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| | 301 North Wilmington Street
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| are our maximum security prisons filled
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| | Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
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| with violent felons who were reared and
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| | Tel.: (919) 715-1277 FAX: (919) 715-1278
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| educated by these very same methods?
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| Parents tend to trust educators who,
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| | Web site:
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| after all, are highly trained in their
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| | Office of the Superintendent of Public
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| specialty and are licensed by the state.
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| | Instruction
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| And virtually all parents want to believe
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| | Ohio Department of Education
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| that those who take charge of their child
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| | 65 South Front Street, Room 810
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| at school are motivated by genuine,
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| | Columbus, OH 43215-4183
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| nurturing feelings toward the child.
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| | Tel.: (614) 466-3304 FAX: (614) 644-5960
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| Educators recognize and pander to this
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| powerful, natural desire. Deliberate
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| | Web site:
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| vagueness about the details serves the
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| | Office of the Superintendent of Public
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| needs of both parties: the practical
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| | Instruction
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| needs of the educators and the emotional
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| | Oklahoma State Department of Education
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| needs of the parents. Responsible,
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| | Hodge Education Building
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| thoughtful parents, however, need to bear
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| | 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
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| in mind that they are delegating their
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| | Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599
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| most important responsibility to total
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| | Tel.: (405) 521-4887 FAX: (405) 421-6205
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| strangers - strangers who have their own
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| agenda, who vary widely in their level of
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| | Web site: sde.state.ok.us/PENNSYLVANIA
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| competence, who operate with minimal
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| | (Some school districts ban corporal
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| supervision and with near-absolute
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| | punishment)
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| impunity. Few people would hand over
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| | Office of the Secretary of Education
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| their car keys in the same circumstances,
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| | Pennsylvania Department of Education
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| with the same degree of trust. Readers
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| | 333 Market Street. 10th Floor
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| who visit the state education Web sites
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| | Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
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| listed below and look for the word
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| | Tel.: (717) 787-5820 FAX (717) 787-7222
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| "paddle" or the phrase "corporal
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| | Web site: CAROLINA
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| punishment" will come up empty-handed.
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| | Office of the State Superintendent of
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| One would never guess that in these
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| | Education
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| school systems children are beaten in
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| | South Carolina Department of Education
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| their pelvic area with wooden weapons
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| | 1006 Rutledge Building
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| between 1/3 and 1/2 million times
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| | 1429 Senate Street
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| annually according to the most
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| | Columbia, SC 29201
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| conservative estimates. Some researchers
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| | Tel.: (803) 734-8492 FAX: (803) 734-4426
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| estimate the number of legal pupil
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| beatings in the 22 pupil beating states
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| | Web site:
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| at about 1 million per year. Small wonder
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| nobody's talking!States which allow
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| | Tennessee Department of Education
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| corporal punishment:ALABAMA
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| | Sixth Floor, Gateway Plaza
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| Office of the Superintendent of
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| | 710 James Robertson Parkway
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| Education
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| | Nashville, TN 37243-0375
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| Alabama Department of Education
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| | Tel.: (615) 741-2731 FAX: (615) 741-6236
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| Gordon Persons Office Building
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| 50 North Ripley Street
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| | Web site:
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| P.O. Box 302102
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| | Office of the Commissioner of Education
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| Montgomery, AL 36130-2101
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| | Office of the Texas Education Agency
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| Tel.: (334) 242-9702 FAX: (334) 242-9708
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| | William B. Travis Building
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|
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| | 1701 North Congress Avenue
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| Web site:
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| | Austin, TX 78701-1494
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| Office of the Director
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| | Tel.: (512) 463-5825 FAX: (512) 463-9008
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| Arizona Department of Education
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| State Capitol
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| | Web site:
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| 1700 W. Washington
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| | Office of the State Department of Public
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| Phoenix, AZ 85007
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| | Instruction
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| Tel.: (602) 542-5460 FAX(602) 542-5440
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| | Wyoming Department of Education
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| Web site:
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| | 2300 Capitol Avenue, 2nd Floor
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| Office of the Director
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| | Hathaway Building
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| Arkansas Department of Education
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| | Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050
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| Four State Capitol Mall, Room 304 A
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| | Tel.: (307) 777-7675 FAX: (307) 777-6234
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| Little Rock, AR 72201-1071
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| Tel.: (501) 682-4204 FAX: (501) 682 1079
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| | Web site:
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|
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| | Information courtesy of Jordan Riak M.
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| Web site: arkedu.state.ar.usCOLORADO
| |
| | Neddermeyer, PhD, author, If I'd Only
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| Office of the Commissioner of Education
| |
| | Known...Sexual Abuse in or out of the
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| Colorado Department of Education
| |
| | Family: A Guide to Prevention is known
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| 201 East Colfax Avenue
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| | for her pioneering work in verbal,
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| Denver, CO 80203-1799
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| | physical and sexual abuse prevention and
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| Tel.: (303) 866-6808 FAX: (303) 866-6938
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| | recovery.
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