TEMPLE TEX. -- In an era when students talk back to teachers skip class and wear ever-more-risque clothing to school one central Texas city has hit upon a deceptively simple solution: Bring back the paddle.
Most school districts across the country banned paddling of students long ago. Texas sat that trend out. Nearly a quarter of the estimated 225000 students who received corporal punishment nationwide in 2006 the latest figures available were from the Lone Star State.
But even by Texas standards Temple is unusual. The city a compact railroad hub of 60000 people banned the practice and then revived it at the demand of parents who longed for the orderly schools of yesteryear. Without paddling there were no consequences for kids said Steve Wright who runs a construction business and is Temples school board president.
Since paddling was brought back to the citys 14 schools by a unanimous board vote in May behavior at Temples single high school has changed dramatically Wright said even though only one student in the school system has been paddled.
TEMPLE TEX. -- In an era when students talk back to teachers skip class and wear ever-more-risque clothing to school one central Texas city has hit upon a deceptively simple solution: Bring back the paddle.
Most school districts across the country banned paddling of students long ago. Texas sat that trend out. Nearly a quarter of the estimated 225000 students who received corporal punishment nationwide in 2006 the latest figures available were from the Lone Star State.
But even by Texas standards Temple is unusual. The city a compact railroad hub of 60000 people banned the practice and then revived it at the demand of parents who longed for the orderly schools of yesteryear. Without paddling there were no consequences for kids said Steve Wright who runs a construction business and is Temples school board president.
Since paddling was brought back to the citys 14 schools by a unanimous board vote in May behavior at Temples single high school has changed dramatically Wright said even though only one student in the school system has been paddled.
