I attended Catholic school back in the 70s, so being hit by a ruler-wielding nun was nothing out of the ordinary. These days I highly doubt many parents would warmly embrace Sister Rose Fatima’s choice of discipline. Just ask parents in Chicago.
According to a new investigative report by the CBS affiliate in the Windy City, teachers, coaches and other school administrators have allegedly beaten hundreds of public school students. The report goes on to say that corporal punishment in Chicago public schools is more widespread than most people realize.
For the record, beating kids in school is illegal. Still, the CBS 2 report says hundreds of children have come forth claiming their teachers have grabbed, hit, and even struck some with a belt.
At least a few of the incidents took place at Robert Emmet Academy. However, the CBS 2 investigation discovered that those incidents were only a handful of at least 818 student-filed complaints, which allege being battered by a teacher or an aide, coach, security guard, or even a principal, in the last five years. In most of those cases – 568 of them – Chicago Public School investigators determined the children were telling the truth.
The TV news crew found reports of students beaten with broomsticks, whipped with belts, yard sticks, struck with staplers, choked, stomped on and pushed down stairs. In one incident a substitute teacher even fractured a student’s neck.
It’s a sickening revelation that has been made worse by the fact that in the vast majority of cases, teachers who were found guilty, were only given a slap on the wrist. According to the report, of the 568 verified cases, only 24 led to termination.
Amazingly, those getting the boot from the Chicago Public School system didn’t include a teacher who reportedly gave a student “100 licks with a belt” and another who “battered students for several years.” Rather, both received a “warning” by the Board of Education.
Illinois state law bans corporal punishment. Evidently many Chicago public school teachers need to be schooled in state law.
What would you do if your child’s teacher used violence to discipline him/her?
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