Newport Beach : School Trustees Vote to Abolish Spanking
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Newport Mesa Unified School District trustees have voted to abolish spanking, citing possible legal troubles under new child abuse laws.
“We had a corporal punishment policy on the books and repaced that with a policy that says it’s prohibited,” board member Forrest K. Werner said.
School officials wanted to avoid the threat of legal action, “keep ourselves out of trouble and keep some parents from being irate about a child being spanked,” Werner said.
He said the board voted 7 to 0 Tuesday to abolish corporal punishment, although only about 15 students a year were spanked throughout the district. Other local school districts also have abolished corporal punishment for similar reasons, he said.
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