Hearings were conducted last fall to determine how citizens in HISD felt about physical punishment as a disciplinary tool in schools. Many of the people who spoke at the hearings were teachers who favored paddling. Another group, People Opposed to Paddling of Students Inc., urged the abolition of paddling. HISD board member Herbert Melton last year began pushing for HISD to do away with paddling. Statistics released last year show paddling varies widely from school to school, with some schools paddling no students and others reporting thousands of incidents annually.
Corporal punishment appears to be used most at the middle-school level.
Traditionally, more discipline problems are reported at that level because of the age of the youngsters. Raymond admitted when she took over the superintendent's position in September that she opposed corporal punishment in schools. She said most of her concerns revolve around its inconsistent use. I believe in it in the home. Jimmy Dunne, president of POPS, said he will continue to publicize severe cases of paddling and to speak before school boards to have paddling abolished.