Boys Say principal made them Paddle Each Other
The principal of Westwood Lake Elementary School was accused Sunday of forcing two 10-year-old students to whack each other on the buttocks with a wooden paddle for fighting in class.
R. W. Miller conceded he had ordered the youths to
paddle each other last Thursday but contended it was “not done with malice or
any intent to harm or damage ”
The youths Gary Stokes, 4525 SW 112th PI., and Greg
Davis, 610 SW 115th Ave, still bore black and blue marks from the paddling
Saturday when their parents first discovered they had been punished.
Dr Joe Hall, superintendent of schools, said Sunday he
had not heard of the incident. He asked time to investigate the matter before
commenting.
However while corporal punishment is permitted when
parents give their consent Hall said he “thought it would he out of line” for a
principal or teacher to order students to paddle each other.
Hall said that if the boys’ parents hadn’t given the
school’s authorities permission to punish their children Miller “probably did
the wrong thing.”
William A O’Neill, stepfather of young Stokes, said
neither he nor the boy’s mother, Virginia, had ever given such permission “and
we never will.”
Mrs Davis said she had given the school permission to
spank her son, “but they had promised not to hurt him.”
Late Sunday Miller visited the parents of both boys
and apologized for his actions and guaranteed “it wouldn't happen again.” The
parents indicated they would not press any charges against Miller.
Miller, a veteran of 21 years In school work, admitted
be might have made a “hasty decision” and “if it was wrong then it has to be
wrong.”
The youths said Miller spanked them each on the
buttocks once “with a long wooden paddle” and then ordered them to take turns
whacking each other. They said the punishment lasted about 10 minutes .They
said they were advised by Miller “to snap your wrist and make it sting.”
The fourth graders also told their parents that Milled
told them that if they didn't hit each other hard he would take over because “I
can hit harder.”
Picture credit: Unknown.
Extracted from The
Miami Herald (Florida, United States), 20 May 1957.
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