| Southern Local School District |
| Administrative Guidelines |
5630 - CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
A person employed as a teacher, principal, or administrator in a school may inflict or cause to be inflicted, reasonable corporal punishment upon a student attending such school whenever such punishment is reasonably necessary in order to preserve discipline while such student is subject to school authority.
Noncertificated school employees and school bus drivers may also, within the scope of their employment, use and apply such amount of force and restraint as is reasonable and necessary to quell a disturbance threatening physical injury to others; to obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects upon the person or with the control of the student, for the purpose of self-defense, or for the protection of persons or property.
| A. | A student may be administered corporal punishment without prior warning by a teacher, principal, or administrator employed by the School District for acts of misconduct that are anti-social or disruptive in nature as to shock the conscience. Anti-social acts are those acts that threaten physical injury to others, possession of weapons or dangerous objects, and the willful destruction of property. | |
| Corporal punishment for other acts of misbehavior can be administered by a teacher, principal, or administrator employed by the School District when the student has been informed before hand that a specific act will result in its use. In these instances, corporal punishment will never be employed as a first line of punishment. | ||
| B. | Corporal punishment must be administered by a teacher, principal, or administrator in the presence of witnesses; teacher, principal, or administrator. The witness, while in the student's presence, must be told the reason for the corporal punishment prior to punishment being administered. | |
| C. | All acts of corporal punishment must be documented and filed in the principal's office giving the name of the student receiving the corporal punishment, the punishable offense, the date when the punishment was administered, the person administering the punishment, and the name of the witness. | |
| D. | The teacher, principal, or administrator who has administered the corporal punishment must provide the child's parents/guardians upon request, a written explanation of his/her reason for administering the punishment and the name of the witness that was present. |
This guideline addresses itself to corporal punishment only. In no way is it construed for the purpose of preventing the use of other forms of acceptable punishment when professional judgment dictates.