Many Millennials and some Zoomers grew up with spanking as a childhood punishment, often from conservative parents. Ask any Gen X or Boomers, and you might hear how spanking by parents, or even other adults, was commonly accepted. Today, any adult laying their hands on a child, especially if not their own, is heavily frowned upon, if not illegal. Yet, a Virginia 8th-grade teacher seemingly forgot that norms have changed and struck one of her students for using what she considered a curse word.
Posting to r/legaladvice, the mom explained her daughter’s situation; it all began when she was chatting with her friends and used the word “freaking.” The teacher was in the room and immediately called her out, exclaiming, “What did you just say!?” The girl simply said that she said “freaking” and didn’t cuss. However, the teacher then called her forward, told her to hold out her hand, and suddenly pulled out a thick wooden ruler, smacking her palm. The student was too in shock to react at the time and just went back to her seat.
Fortunately, the student’s friend convinced her to tell the principal, which is how the mom was informed of the situation. The parent clarifies that her daughter is no troublemaker: “She’s is a straight A student on the honor roll every single year since elementary. So she isn’t one of those troublesome kids that causes problems in the classroom. Which is why I felt she was targeted.” Targeting an innocent, hard-working student aside, disciplining a child in public schools with physical violence is illegal in Virginia. “I definitely think she crossed the line,” she said, referring to the teacher.
Now, the mom is wondering how she can advocate for the 8th-grade teacher’s removal from staff, aka getting fired. Hundreds of Redditors supported this as well, with the top commenter agreeing that “Definitely, 100% illegal. Corporal punishment is strictly prohibited in any Virginia public school.” The first thing the mother should do is to contact the police and get a lawyer on the case ASAP if the school doesn’t comply or tries to defend the teacher’s actions.
As one person puts it, “This wasn’t her first time hitting a student and it won’t be her last time.” The way the teacher reacted was certainly almost habitual and practiced. If she’s willing to break the law and abuse students over petty reasons, there’s no telling what she might try next. As the post’s comment section collectively expresses, the teacher needs to go.
