spanking paddle

A paddle has two parts: a handle and a blade. Most paddles are designed to be held with one hand, but a giant paddle may be designed to be held with two hands.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/photognome/2708830973/in/photostream/ Image] of a very large spanking paddle that was designed to be held with two hands. The blade is typically 3 to {{convert|4|in|mm}} wide, 1/4-inch thick, and 1 to {{convert|3|ft|m}} in length.

In the great majority of cases, the paddle is aimed at the recipient's buttocks. Less commonly, the back of the thighs might also be targeted."The act of punishment is to be conducted in such a manner that the area of contact will lie between and include the buttocks and the back of the thigh". [http://www.tipton-county.com/Student%20Handbook%202009.10.pdf Student Handbook]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (2009), p. 19. Tipton County Schools, Tennessee.

Paddles for use in schools are made of wood, or occasionally plastic."Corporal punishment shall be administered using an instrument (paddle) made of wood or plastic of reasonable width, length, and thickness. (The paddle shall not be more than 1/4" x 3" x 18".)" [http://www.tasb.org/policy/pol/private/212905/pol.cfm?DisplayPage=FO(LOCAL).pdf&QueryText=PADDLE Policy On Line: Student Discipline]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, p. 2. Tyler independent school District, Texas. Paddles used for school punishments may be roughly hewn from commonly available wood.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/1014497362/sizes/o/ Image] of a roughly hewn schoolhouse paddle. Occasionally, paddles may have holes drilled into them, so there is less air drag when the paddle approaches the buttocks, and produces more pain. The paddles used for fraternity and sorority initiation ceremonies are often professionally made and engraved with organizational symbols and slogans.[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SororityPaddlingFinalexam280.jpg Image] of a decorated sorority paddle from a fictional spanking film.

File:Spanking paddle invented to beat slaves.jpg

The paddle may have been originally invented for the punishment of enslaved people as a way of causing intense pain without doing any permanent damage to the recipient.Scott, George Ryley (1938). [https://books.google.com/books?id=5NbaAAAAMAAJ&q=punctured The history of corporal punishment: a survey of flagellation in its historical, anthropological, and sociological aspects], 2nd Edition, T. W. Laurie, London. However it is not only in former slave states that the paddle has been used in schools. It is not known why or exactly when it became the normal implement for corporal punishment in US schools. There are, however, instances of paddling using similar implements with individuals who were not slaves.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

{{Corporal punishment}}

File:Punishment of the Paddle, 1912.jpg

Paddling was mainly used in many parts of the United States (and still is, in a few areas) as a means to discipline misbehaving school students. Paddling has also been used in some homes to punish children and teenagers.[http://www.wlwt.com/news/22591959/detail.html Dad Found Not Guilty In Paddling Case.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225075355/http://www.wlwt.com/news/22591959/detail.html |date=25 February 2012 }} WLWT, News 5, Cincinnati, Ohio. 17 February 2010.In 2005, a father in Minnesota used a paddle to strike his son 36 times. [http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/archive/supct/0805/OPA070152-0530.pdf Minnesota Supreme Court]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, 30 May 2008. The results of a national household survey indicate that paddling is a discipline technique that 10% of parents are "very likely to use". The percentage of parents who say that they are very likely to paddle increases to 12% when involving teenagers.C.S. Mott Children's Hospital (2010). [http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/npch/pdf/041510report.pdf "Speak or Spank? More Parents Choose Reasoning Than Physical Discipline".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607100243/http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/npch/pdf/041510report.pdf |date=7 June 2010 }} National Poll on Children's Health, Vol. 9, Issue 4, 16 April 2010.

{{main|School corporal punishment in the United States}}

The paddle is the almost invariable implement in US schools that still allow corporal punishment for student misconduct. Some paddles have traditionally had holes bored in them for aerodynamic effect,Human Rights Watch (2008). [https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/us0808webwcover.pdf A Violent Education: Corporal Punishment of Children in US Public Schools,] p. 17. but many schools nowadays prohibit the use of such paddles."A paddle made of wood with no holes or splinters shall be used in administering corporal punishment..." Rapides Parish School Board (2005). [http://www.rapides.k12.la.us/policy/student/SECTION_I.pdf Parish Policy Handbook and Student Code of Conduct.]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}"The punishment shall consist of no more than three swats on the buttocks with a smooth surface paddle free of holes and/or cracks." Calhoun County Schools. [http://www.calhoun.k12.al.us/parent/Doc/HANDBOOK06-07.doc 2006–2007 Student Handbook and Code of Student Conduct.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606213440/http://www.calhoun.k12.al.us/parent/Doc/HANDBOOK06-07.doc |date=6 June 2011 }}

Paddling typically causes a slight reddening of the skin but in some cases can cause bruises that are "visible for approximately two weeks".Harrison, Mark. [http://times-journal.com/news/article_43a9c106-b315-11e0-b2ae-001cc4c002e0.html "Lawsuit filed over paddling incident"]. Times-Journal, DeKalb County, Alabama, 20 July 2011. Whether or not particular bruises constitute evidence of "serious injury" or "abuse"[http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/coa/opinions/2006/pdf/051517-1.pdf In re: C.B., J.B., Th.B., & Ti.B.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610170404/http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/coa/opinions/2006/pdf/051517-1.pdf |date=10 June 2011 }}, North Carolina Court of Appeals, 15 August 2006. or "child maltreatment"[http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselaw?action=OCLGetCaseDetail&format=FULL&sourceID=beehcb&searchTerm=eNeE.GUda.UWTb.LcQC&searchFlag=y&l1loc=FCLOW Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Shelly Holman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716093932/http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselaw?action=OCLGetCaseDetail&format=FULL&sourceID=beehcb&searchTerm=eNeE.GUda.UWTb.LcQC&searchFlag=y&l1loc=FCLOW |date=16 July 2011 }}, Arkansas Court of Appeals, 4 October 2006. depends on individual circumstances and can ultimately be settled only by a court of law.

There have been cases in the past when paddling was administered incorrectly or excessively. Partly in order to avoid this danger, in the majority of U.S. schools, paddling is more strictly regulated than in the past, many schools publishing detailed rules in their student handbooks.[http://www.corpun.com/usscr2.htm Corporal punishment regulations of individual schools or school districts] (external links to present-day school handbooks) at World Corporal Punishment Research. It is usually a requirement that a professional witness be present. Currently, there is often a maximum of three swats (or "licks" or "pops"). In the past, paddlings of up to 30[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2g1QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c1UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5696,3515697&hl=en "Paddling Charge Dropped; School Bell Rings Again"]. Evening Independent, 19 April 1960, p. 3-A. licks were not unknown, especially in rural schools.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} Practice has gradually moved from paddlings in the classroom or hallway to paddlings administered out of the sight of other students, typically in the principal's office. "Hallway" paddlings could typically be seen by other students, administrators or even outsiders visiting the school.

In 1981, a 17-year-old student claimed bleeding wounds as a result of a school paddling.[http://www.nospank.net/shelly.htm Testimony of Shelly S. Gaspersohn] at a meeting of the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, 17 October 1984. It was alleged that the assistant principal who had administered the punishment had held and swung the paddle with two hands.[http://nc.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19850604_0041310.NC.htm/qx Gaspersohn v. Harnett County Board of Education and Glenn Varney]; North Carolina Court of Appeals, Volume 75, page 34 (1985). In order to prevent such claims, a school district currently may choose to require the handle of a spanking paddle to be "just large enough for a normal one-hand grip".Santa Rosa County School District (2009). [http://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/files/csc.pdf Code of Student Conduct,] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702115632/http://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/files/csc.pdf |date=2 July 2010 }} p. 59. Or a rule might provide that the handle shall not be more than {{convert|4|in|mm}} long (just large enough to be held with one hand).Alexander City Schools (2010). [http://www.alex.k12.al.us/handbook/hand.pdf Student/Parent Information Guide and Code of Conduct, 2009–2010 School Year,] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824024436/http://www.alex.k12.al.us/handbook/hand.pdf |date=24 August 2009 }} p. 47.

In 1982, a nine-year-old student was hit with a wooden paddle that was cracked.[http://openjurist.org/817/f2d/650 Garcia v. Miera.] United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 28 April 1987. This caused a bleeding wound that became a permanent scar. To avoid this, nowadays some school districts have adopted rules which prohibit using paddles that have cracks in them. For example, the policies of Bloomfield School District provide that, "Corporal punishment will be administered by spanking the buttocks of a student with a flat-surfaced paddle which is smoothly sanded and has no cracks or holes and that will cause no more than temporary pain and not inflict permanent damage to the body."See the fifth paragraph of section J-4661 of the [http://www.bsin.k12.nm.us/policies/ Policy Manual and Administrative Regulations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304011607/http://www.bsin.k12.nm.us/policies/ |date=4 March 2011 }} of the Bloomfield School District, New Mexico.

A paddling is typically administered with two or more school employees present. The student may be ordered to bend over a chair"He [a school principal] told her [an 18-year-old student] to bend over a chair with her buttocks raised." Sacks, Deana Pollard (2009). [http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/42-4_Sacks.pdf "State Actors Beating Children: A Call For Judicial Relief".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612221633/http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/42-4_Sacks.pdf |date=12 June 2010 }} University of California Davis Law Review, 42, p. 1167. or desk"The force of the blow caused Bria to lose her grip on the desk and fall against it". Hyman, Irwin A, and Snook, Pamela A (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=qwefAAAAMAAJ&q=desk Dangerous Schools: What We Can Do About the Physical and Emotional Abuse of Our Children], p. 20. Jossey-Bass Publishers, New York, NY; {{ISBN|0-7879-4363-0}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7879-4363-9}}. and, in that position, receive the prescribed number of strokes of the paddle. Paddling usually occurs in an office but may sometimes occur in a hallway. The punishment is delivered across the seat of the student's trousers or skirt.

In order to avoid allegations of sexual abuse, many school districts require that a female teacher be present during the paddling of a female student.The [http://www.burke.k12.nc.us/superintendent/boe/Policies/Section10/10.3610%20%20Corporal%20Punishment.pdf Burke County Public Schools paddling policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714123523/http://www.burke.k12.nc.us/superintendent/boe/Policies/Section10/10.3610%20%20Corporal%20Punishment.pdf |date=14 July 2010 }} provides that, "In the event of corporal punishment being administered to a female student, a female teacher shall at all times be present". A school might also recommend "that female staff members administer corporal punishment to female students (middle and high school)".St. Johns County School District (2010). [http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/rules/Conduct_Code_2010-2011.pdf Student Code of Conduct 2010–2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727051741/http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/rules/Conduct_Code_2010-2011.pdf |date=27 July 2011 }}, p. 34. Or a school board might prescribe that a "female principal(s) or designee shall spank or paddle female students" and that a "male principal(s) or designee shall spank or paddle male students."[http://www.cbs19.tv/Global/story.asp?S=10228878 Chapel Hill ISD Board Amends Corporal Punishment Policy.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229233839/http://www.cbs19.tv/Global/story.asp?S=10228878 |date=29 February 2012 }} Television station KYTX, 22 April 2009.

As of April 2023, 17 states allow corporal punishment in public schools. See School corporal punishment in the United States for further information.

• Some university or college traditions enforce(d) rules by paddling offenders. In the University of Missouri until World War II,[http://www.mizzou.com/traditions.htm 'Paddle Lines' at David R. Francis Quadrangle], "Mizzou Traditions" web page. any freshman found on the 'quad', the most prestigious square on campus, had to offer his 'insolent' posterior for punishment along a "paddle line" formed by swatting seniors.
• Fraternities and sororities are commonly associated with paddling of members, especially new members or pledges, as part of their hazing rituals.Sorority pledges are paddled during the movie Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988). Due to modern anti-hazing laws{{cite web | title = State Anti-Hazing Laws | work = StopHazing.org: Educating to Eliminate Hazing | url = http://www.stophazing.org/laws.html | access-date = 27 July 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090422161349/http://www.stophazing.org/laws.html | archive-date = 22 April 2009 | df = dmy-all }} and regulations, this has declined. This subculture is peculiar to North America. {{Citation needed|reason=reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=January 2013}}

The paddle is also a favorite implement for non-disciplinary "fun" spankings such as "birthday spankings," as also for paddle games (such as trading blows) or a spanking pyramid or paddle machine. A paddle machine can be used in conjunction with a spanking bench. Numerous celebrities, including Jessica Jaymes, Jennifer Krum, Haydn Porter, Tabitha Stevens and Victoria Zdrok, have mounted Howard Stern's spanking bench to be paddled by his paddle machine, the "Robospanker".[http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=123290354&albumID=833721&imageID=11182870 Image] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911230433/http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage |date=11 September 2009 }} of [http://www.playboy.com/girls/coeds/cotw/haydn-porter/haydn-porter.html Haydn Porter] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713185345/http://www.playboy.com/girls/coeds/cotw/haydn-porter/haydn-porter.html |date=13 July 2010 }} kneeling on a spanking bench and being paddled by a paddle machine during [http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1167886800 A Spanking New Year], the 4 January 2007 episode of The Howard Stern Show. Paddles are also used by practitioners of erotic spanking.

• Corporal punishment
• Caning
• Paddle
• Spanking
• Yaoi paddle

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Paddles (spanking)}}

• [http://www.corpun.com/counuss.htm "Corporal punishment in US schools"] at World Corporal Punishment Research

Category:School punishments

Category :Spanking implements