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A bill giving parents control over whether their children get paddled in school was sent to the governor on Wednesday, after years of lawmakers fighting unsuccessfully to end corporal punishment altogether. The bill requires schools to let parents sign a paper forbidding them to paddle their children if the district has a policy allowing corporal punishment. HB 359 wasn't as strong as the authors, who included Houston Democrat Alma Allen and Arlington Republican Barbara Nash, would have liked. But it was stronger than what passed out of the Senate. The version that left the House exempted small counties with fewer than 50,000 residents - but the Senate struck that, arguing that if big-city children are protected from the paddle, then small-town kids should be as well. The House agreed on Wednesday with a vote of 80 to 64, and the bill went to the governor. The authors are just happy it passed at all. The bill had a hit on it by conservative groups, and failed once - before being revived after Nash worked the floor and convinced her GOP colleagues that it was really a parental-rights bill.
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Ex-coach admits paddling for thrill By ANDREW WOLFE Staff Writer, Nashua Telegraph, NH, March, 2010 NASHUA – A former Alvirne High School coach and paraprofessional pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he paddled several students for sexual gratification and was sentenced to three years in jail. Michael Palmer, 32, of Wichita, Texas, had been jailed since his arrest in June, and he had faced 120 misdemeanor sexual assault charges, alleging assaults on three boys in 2008. Hillsborough County Attorney Robert Walsh agreed to drop most of the charges after Palmer pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual assault, simple assault and criminal threatening on Friday in Nashua District Court, court records show. Judge Michael Ryan sentenced Palmer to three consecutive 12-month terms in jail, with another two consecutive 12-month terms to remain suspended for five years after he gets out. Palmer will be required to be evaluated, treated and register for life as a sex offender as part of his sentence, and so long as he remains on probation, he may have no contact with minors, and his computer use can be monitored, according to court records. Most of the assaults took place in the teens’ homes, and others at Palmer’s former apartment at 40 Bowery St., Nashua. Palmer formerly worked as a paraprofessional at Alvirne High School and coached the boys’ soccer and wrestling teams before resigning May 5, 2009. Palmer admitted to abusing his position as an authority figure to spank three teens with either a belt, a paddle or his bare hand as “punishment” for misbehavior or bad grades, and forcing another boy to sit on his lap, and slapping the boy’s face. All four victims were Alvirne students at the time of the assaults. Police began investigating Palmer in 2008, after someone stole his laptop computer and turned it over to police, suspecting it contained child pornography. Police searched the computer and found pornographic images of older men spanking or paddling teenage boys, but the images proved to be legal pornography, not child porn, police said. Detective Steve Sweeney spoke with Palmer, who admitted that he was attracted to younger men, but added that “he was sensitive to the fact that his desires could pose a problem, being that he is a high school coach for boys,” police said. Palmer told police he stays out of the boys locker room and holds all meetings in public view, to avoid any potential problem. Police renewed their investigation the following spring, however, when a student disclosed to his mother that Palmer had been repeatedly abusing him, police said. The mother had questioned her son about text messages from Palmer on the boy’s phone, police said. Palmer later admitted to police that he had been playing out scenes from his pornographic movies with the students and that he was receiving mental health help, police said after his arrest. Andrew Wolfe can be reached at 594-6410 or awolfe@nashuatelegraph.com. View article at http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/674553-196/ex-coach-to-serve-3-years-for-paddling.html?i=1
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COUNCILMAN DESCRIBES WANTING TO BEAT THE BLACK OFF HIS SON
Editor
Cincinnati Post
Re: Former Councilman Sam "Malone describes whipping his son" 1/26/06
Dear Editor:
Former Councilman Sam Malone is the poster child for child abusers. "Hospital pictures show welts on the boy's buttock, back, stomach, arms and legs, including at least one mark that appeared to be from a belt buckle," according the article, and Malone is quoted as telling the boy he was going to "beat the black off of him." The welts show he fairly well succeeded in his intent. This former boxer-wrestler-power lifter "adult" admits he wrestled the boy to the floor, and beat the fourteen year old, who was clad only in his underwear, numerous times. Malone says he took off his own shirt to hit the boy to increase his "range of motion." Pretty scary. Whipping the boy with a belt wasn't enough, he needed to really get his shoulder back to hit with more force.
Judge Russell Mock should throw the book at this brute. Anything short of a conviction and full sentence makes it open season on kids in Ohio. If this act of violence isn't domestic violence, what is? Substitute "wife" or "elderly parent" for "son" in the story of this whipping, and there would be no question about the judge's ruling. If Mr. Malone did this to an animal in Ohio he would face months in jail.
Send a message to the child abusers, Judge Mock. We're a civilized society that will not accept or tolerate this barbaric treatment of children.
Robert Fathman
5805 Tarton Circle N.
Dublin, OH 43017
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Jimmy Dunne on KRIV Ch-26 FOX news in Houston, 12.1.10 5pm news about rally against school paddling at Texas capitol in Austin, Friday, Dec. 3, 3:30-6:30pm. Your support there is needed. http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/education/101201-corporal-punishment-still-exists-in-some-schools
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GLOBAL SUMMIT PROCLAMATION “I believe that corporal punishment should be abolished. Period. End of story,” declared 11 year-old Dawn Ford, of Dallas, Texas at the first Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline advocates, and youth from 21 nations--strongly agree. From birth, children have the right to the same respect accorded to all persons. They deserve—and need—to live in a peaceful, loving, and secure environment. Corporal punishment in all its forms, including what is called “spanking, smacking, paddling, etc.” has no place in our schools or homes. We urge all parents, caregivers, educators, communities, and nations to end all forms of corporal punishment of children and embrace the safe, just, and effective alternative: positive discipline. Adopted unanimously by proclamation at the end of the first Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline Global Summit On Ending Corporal. We--academics, professionals,Global Summit on Ending, Dallas, TX, June 4, 2011
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Op-Ed for Newspapers; June 9, 2011 I attended the first Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline June 2-4 hosted by S.M.U. and psychology professor George Holden, PhD in Dallas. Attending were activists representing twenty one countries who are dedicated to abolishing all forms of spanking, paddling, slapping, hitting and smacking of children world wide. We discussed studies that show corporal punishment produces no positive outcomes and is associated with increased aggression, as well as behavior and mental health problems. It also fosters lower IQ, poorer academic performance, and increased bullying. Currently twenty nine nations have passed laws banning corporal punishment of children in homes beginning with Sweden in 1979. Ask any group of adults if they would like to be hit and the answer will always be no. Being hit is painful, humiliating and can cause injuries. If anyone hits an adult, whether a friend, stranger or spouse they will likely be arrested and charged with assault. Children do not have this equal protection under the law but they should. It is perfectly legal in Texas for parents and caregivers to whip children with bare hands, paddles, extension cords and belts because of a misguided law passed six years ago. It also legal to paddle school children with wooden paddles in Texas even though it is against the law in thirty one more progressive states. Thankfully the Texas legislature recently passed Rep. Alma Allen's HB 359 which gives parents the right to deny corporal punishment for their children as a discipline measure in districts that still allow this discredited policy. The bill awaits Gov. Rick Perry's signature. At the Dallas conference, I talked to people from London, Paris, Israel, Thailand, Ethiopia, Australia and New Zealand who are all working to end corporal punishment of children. Research shows that corporal punishment is ineffective as discipline and poses only risks to children's development. Sixty five percent of three year olds in a sample of nearly 2,000 families had been "spanked" by one or both parents in the previous month. A study which tracked corporal punishment of 3-11 year olds from 1975 to 2002, found that 18% fewer children were slapped or spanked by caregivers in 2002 compared with 1975. However, in 2002, 79% of preschool-aged children were spanked and nearly half of children aged eight and nine were hit with an object such as a paddle or switch. Parents are role models for children's behavior. When we hit, slap or spank, we are teaching our children to hit. When we cuss, children learn to curse. Violence hampers children's development, learning abilities and school performance. It inhibits positive relationships, promotes low self-esteem, emotional distress and depression. When you finish reading this article, just remember the following: 1) It is never OK to hit a child. 2) Spanking teaches children to hit. 3) People are not for hitting and children are people too. 4) It is no more acceptable to hit your child than to hit your spouse. 5) Children deserve the same respect and protection under the law that adults enjoy.
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