It is no secret that some Alabama public schools allow paddling, but national education data shows children with disabilities and special needs are among the most paddled.
U.S. Department of Education data shows more than half of Alabama public schools allow corporal punishment, and that half of students who go to those schools report having been paddled.
In the 2020-2021 school year, that data shows about 2,500 students were paddled, some of them more than once.
It also shows that most schools that allow paddling are in rural Alabama counties.
The figure that stands out to Rose Bridgeforth is 15 percent. That is how many disabled or special needs student are paddled, according to that DOE data.
Her 17-year-old son is high functioning autistic, and goes to James Clemens High, a school that does not permit paddling. Even so, she can't help but think of special needs students at schools that do.
"Kids on the spectrum sometimes deal with anxiety...because they may not be able to express how they feel at the time," said Bridgeforth.
She believes a paddling could push her son - and other special needs students - over the edge.
She says there is a big difference in her spanking her son, and a teacher doing it.
"He knows me and he may be mad at me, but he knows this is in his best interest," said Bridgeforth.
An Alabama Department of Education spokesperson promised to set up an interview with the state superintendent for WAAY 31 Morning Anchor Chris Tatum to ask questions about the paddling of disabled and special needs students, but despite his repeated follow-up calls, he never heard back. That spokesperson also stopped answering his calls after their initial conversation.
One thing he did learn during that one conversation is, that the state leaves it up to local school boards whether to allow paddling.
Here are the questions we most want answers to:
1. What are the parameters in place for paddling disabled and special needs students?
2. Do parents have a say?
3. How do school leaders decide which special needs children to paddle?
4. Is it possible the behavior for which these students get paddled is a direct result of their special need?
Erica Hochberger counsels children from all kinds of crises at Huntsville's National Children's Advocacy Center.
She believes we all hold the power to change minds about the effectiveness of paddling students:
1. Teach parents alternatives to spanking.
2. Convincing communities to adopt those alternatives.
3. Stopping schools from paddling - PERIOD.
Hochberger says there is no infraction for which paddling is the only remedy.
"There's tons of research against it and no research in support of it. I know as a parent, that's hard to hear, because I had to learn that too," said Hochberger.
As for Rose Bridgeforth, she has no problem with punishment.
"There needs to be some action taken to let you know that that is not how you're supposed to behave," said Bridgeforth.
But she wants schools to leave paddling to parents.
