Teachers are darned if they do ...

In a number of (mostly rural) Oklahoma school districts, teachers are allowed to swat students on the backside with a paddle in an effort to discipline them. The law allowing corporal punishment has been on the books for years. We’re one of about 20 states that allows it.

Maybe it’s time to revisit that law. In Cordell, the mother of a 12-year-old boy says the teacher who paddled her son went too far.

The boy’s father gave the school his OK for the punishment, but the mother says the paddling left bruises that lasted three days. The district attorney looked into the woman’s complaints and found no wrongdoing. But given today’s sensitivity regarding treatment of children, allowing paddling would seem to invite trouble.

On the other hand, the tail wags the dog in too many Oklahoma classrooms. Even grabbing a disruptive student by the arm to escort him out of the room can result in a reprimand from the brass or a complaint from mom or dad. It’s a real conundrum.