A story caught my eye on Catholic News Agency, according to which:
Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans said that a local Catholic school must permanently ban corporal punishment for student misbehavior, even though many parents and alumni support the practice. ...
Since 1951 teachers and administrators at the historically black all-boys school have used an 18-inch-long wooden paddle, known as “the board of education,” to administer punishment to students for tardiness, sloppy dress or other minor infractions.
However, Archbishop Aymond and Josephite superior general Fr. Edward Chiffriller, who heads the school’s board of trustees, ordered an end to the practice.
A town hall meeting assembled to discuss the change attracted an audience that numbered over 600 and included current students from grades six to 12, current and former parents, grandparents, benefactors and friends of the school.
"Board of education." Heh. Definite points for that.
Personally, I do not have an opinion on whether corporal punishment should be administered at St. Augustine High School -- the school in question. My own conviction is that the issue of corporal punishment is one for parents to decide. I have known some parents who have successfully raised children using it seldom or never. I also know there are parents who feel it is has played an important and needed role in raising their children. The fact is that children are different, and some respond to different things. To one child a time out may be far more agonizing (and motivating) than a paddling. To others just the reverse will be the case. Whether corporal punishment is to be used in the case of their own children -- and how much and when -- is something that I view as within the natural law rights of the parents.
Because of that, I can see why a school might choose not to have corporal punishment on campus, simply in respect of the rights of parents who do not wish it administered to their children (quite apart from issues of lawsuits and such). I can also see a school having a policy of allowing corporal punishment for those children whose parents do not object to it (such a policy could be a little tricky, but doable). And I can see a school saying, "It is our policy to use corporal punishment in disciplinary cases. If you have a problem with that policy, feel free to place your children with another school that has a different policy."
So, I don't have a problem with schools taking different policy positions on this, just as I don't have a problem with parents doing so. I think reasonable people can have a legitimate diversity of opinion.
I also don't have a problem with Archbishop Aymond deciding not to have corporal punishment at St. Augustine. As the local bishop, that's within his purview.
I would, however, offer some thoughts on some of the claims made in the CNA story. I have to say that I wasn't at the town hall meeting, and so I don't know exactly what was said or in what context, but based on the coverage provided by CNA, several things leapt out at me:
KEEP READING.
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