Paddling in Schools

Slow to Respond.

Another due-process issue involved corporal punishment in school. James Ingraham was a student at Drew Junior High School in Dade County, Florida, in the fall of 1970. On 6 October 1970 Ingraham did not leave the stage in the school auditorium as quickly as his teacher expected when the teacher asked. Ingraham was sent to the principal's office for a paddling. He protested his innocence and refused to submit to the punishment. Two assistant principals held him over a table while the principal hit him twenty times with a paddle. Ingraham went to the hospital and was out of school for two weeks as a result.

Cruel and Unusual?

Many students at Drew had similar stories. The principals continued to beat the children after their parents objected. The parents decided to sue. They claimed that the school discipline violated the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which prohibits cruel and...

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