While most of those speaking at the hearing said they understood the school board could not prohibit spanking under state law, they suggested parents should be allowed to decide whether their child should be paddled. One possibility, some parents suggested, was letting parents write a letter to school officials refusing paddling permission. DeVane is also a member of the Code of Student Conduct Revision Committee. Offenses that can result in corporal punishment outlined in the conduct code are fighting, vandalism, stealing, extortion, defiant behavior and using tobacco. The suggested corrective measures for such offenses include extra class work, restitution and counseling.
Corporal punishment is termed, with suspension, as optional discipline.
Another concern voiced at the meeting was the effect of paddling on students who are victims of child abuse. One of the speakers, a foster parent of a child who had been abused by his natural father, said the school administrators should be careful who they paddle. These children should be protected and not abused more. The conduct code gives corporal punishment guidelines which limit paddle strokes to three for elementary students and five for junior and senior high school students. The code, however, does provide protection for students under medical or psychological treatment.