PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

PA House Education Committee investigates "liberal bias" and votes to keep schoo
by Hal Smith Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005 at 5:52 AM
has26@pitt.edu

penntrafford.jpg, image/jpeg, 150x86

Regarding the Pitt News' articles:

Oklahoma Paddles Highschool Students
http://www.pittnews.com/vnews/displ...0/4372d5a35bc6f

Bias Hearings Begin at Pitt
http://www.pittnews.com/vnews/displ...96?in_archive=1
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The Pitt News' articles on Oklahoma schools that beat students and on the Liberal Bias Committee came together at an ironic time. Oklahoma is not the only state to beat students with boards in school. In October the same Republican-controlled PA House Education Committee that is now holding Mcarthyist hearings on college campuses voted against the State Board of Education's regulation abolishing corporal punishment in Pennsylvania schools. Republicans on the Education Committee were outspoken in denouncing the proposal and claimed students needed severe discipline. The ACLU argued students have basic rights not to be beaten.

78% of Pennsylvanians believe hitting students is plain wrong. But apparently some backwards schools in rural Western Pennsylvania have not heard of that. This year the superintendent of Penn-Trafford schools told the Post Gazette their district beat up to 10 high school students. Interestingly, the elementary does not hit students, only the middle school and high school.

One former Penn Trafford student told me they have lots of drugs at their school. The principal even made a speech telling the students how bad they were at homecoming. School beatings do not work.

In 2000 Waynesburg and Greene County schools enrolled 2,280 students and beat 190. More than half were girls. "Eight out of nine cases, the kid left smiling and thanking you," said Waynesburg Central High School principal Al Barbaro, which reveals the schools' sick mentality.

Like I said, Oklahoma is not the only state to beat students. The Republican Party of Texas has "corporal punishment" in its party program and even passed a law to protect teachers who bruise children. The 22 states with school beatings voted for Texas governor Bush in 2004.

Except for one- Pennsylvania. The House Education Committee's bias against students' rights and academic free speech is out of step with their constituents. And the Committee's opposition to school reform will soon come to naught- the Attorney General signed the abolition of corporal punishment in Pennsylvania last week. It only remains for the ban to be published in the state education bulletin. Let's see what happens to its campaign against free thought on college campuses.

Sources:

"Waynesburg Administrator Says Paddling an Acceptable Discipline Option" by Mark Lazerus, August 17, 2003
http://www.corpun.com/uss00308.htm

The office of Civil Rights Report:
http://205.207.175.84/ocr2000r/startWDS.asp

Survey of Pennsylvania residents
http://www.surveyusa.com.

Attached: Penn Trafford's School Board, which beats high school students and doesn't want to pay their teachers like the other districts. The one on the right forgot his canned smile.