Peg, I'm looking but can't find the link to show the states in order of achievement based on standard test scores. If I remember correctly, the most recent studies showed many of your "Top 10" list in the "Bottom 10" list as far as achievement was concerned. I'd be very interested to know if there is any correlation, or even coincidence, that could work in favor of this very noble cause.

The data above is the most recent, and was released in Novemeber of 2005, and reflects the 2002-03 school year.
I am so passionate about this issue, and really do thank those of you who are interested in this.

It is a slippery slope, and I bet you anything that in a district or a state that does not allow corporal punishment, this misconduct would be taken very seriously. In Alabama, where 5.2% of all students are hit each year, it will not raise too much concern, I would think. Alabama is the third highest paddling state in the nation, by percentage of children hit:
This data is compiled by the Office of Civil Rights, and found on stophitting.com

The 10 worst states, by percentage of students struck by educators in the 2002-2003 school year:

Rank State Percentage
1 Mississippi 9.1
2 Arkansas 7.6
3 Alabama 5.2
4 Tennessee 4.3
5 Oklahoma 2.8
6 Louisiana 2.3
7 Georgia 1.7
8 Texas 1.4
9 Missouri 0.8
10 Kentucky 0.5

Thank you, Peg. I will keep you posted. It might seem minor in comparison since it was "just" rolled up posterboard. But clearly this teacher puts herself way above her students to think she can act this way. And it is a slippery slope.

Crew Chief,
I am very interested in seeing how this case plays out for your friend. It has been my experience here in our school sytstem, that once the adults think it is a good idea to hit kids with wooden boards, all sorts of abuse is OK. We have teachers who have kicked children in the head for dropping crayons, have taped mouths shut for talking in class, have made children stand in a chalked off circle for an hour to wait to go to the bathroom,have made children urinate, deficate, and menstruate in their desks instead of allowing them to go to the restroom, have forced exercise in the 92 degree heat for wearing the wrong kind of shoes, in the eyes of the teacher, not by policy of any kind, one teacher sticks her hands down kids' pants to enforce a tuck in policy, another throws objects, has even hit children in the head by hurling objects. All attempts on the part of the few parents who have stepped up and asked for these things to be dealt with have failed. It took a police report filed on the teacher for putting her hands down pants, to finally stop that. The district either denies or allows all abuse to continue. Again, when the educated sector thinks that it is a good idea to hit children with wooden planks, what's the big deal with a shove or a hurl, or a piece of tape over the mouth?
I do care very much when I hear of this kind of story. Keep us posted.

Beignets,
In NC the law states that a principal, assistant principal, or teacher can use corporal punishment, and must have a witness. The witness can be any of those titles, or a teacher's aide or a student teacher.
Peggy