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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1984)
Page 12/The Battalion/Monday, April 23, 1984 Hotline helps document corporal punishment in schools United Press International Corporal punishment in schools has been documented in the calls of frantic parents to a hotline run by the National Committee for Citizens in Edu cation. Parents dialing the toll-free number, 800-NETWORK (dial letters of the word), during its first year asked for help in cases where paddling caused welts and bruises. They also sought guidance in responding to other inappropriate and de meaning punishments, includ ing: • Frequent episodes of mild paddling, a discipline measure creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among stu dents. Some paddlers punish kids for not working up to po tential. In one second grade, all who did not score 100 on a math test were paddled for ne glecting to turn in homework. • Students having hands taped to their desks to stop fid geting. • Tying boys together with a rope so they would stop fight ing and learn to get along. • Placing children in cages in the classroom or in windowless closets. Nancy Berla, director of the NCCE hotline project, said 17 percent of the 4000 calls during the first 12-months were about discipline matters and 90 per cent dealt with corporal punish ment or suspension. Berla said corporal punish ment usually is reserved for the disciplining of young students and suspension is used for older ones. “In cases where the paddling MSC Cateteria Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods. Each Daily Special Only $2.39 Plus Tax. “Open Daily" Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M is severe enough to cause bruises or other injuries, par ents often report to child abuse authorities, intending to place charges against the teacher or principal who inflict the pad dling,” Bera said. “They soon learn that such incidents are not legally consid ered child abuse and cannot be investigated or acted upon by the agency. “The parents may appeal to the school board, charging cruel and excessive punish ment. But the school board members invariably back the teacher and principal and are not responsive to the parents’ objections to this type of pun ishment. “In many schools, teachers carry their paddles attached to their belts. The teachers are ac customed to using the paddle on children for petty or trivial behavior, such as being late to class, not having the right color pencil, missing the school bus to go home, talking at lunch time, )f f and being out of their seat with out permission. “These offenses could easily have been corrected by repri mands or penalties much less severe and less painful than be ing hit with a wooden paddle, a belt or a switch.” The hotline is attended 9-to- 5, Mondays through Fridays. Other times callers’ complaints are left on recording tape. Bera said she usually advises parents to confront the teacher or principal and to also check up on the legality of corporal punishment in a particular school district or state. She recommends that Mom or Dad insist that a report on the incident be put in the child’s file, along with a notation that the parent objected. diate assistance from child abuse agencies. “If the punishment is severe, I recommend that they com plain to the school board,” she said. Dr. Carl L. Marburger, edu cator and a policy director of NCCE in Columbia, Md., broke down other hotline calls about school problems. He said they concerned lack of service and programs for handicapped stu dents, 14 percent; placement in class such as being put in second grade when parents think the child belongs in third grade, 10 percent; about dealing with a poor principal or teacher, 7 percent; about parent rights, 6 to 7 percent; about student rights, 6 to 7 percent. “We tend to get thentj calls,” Marburger said that callers don’t knowt else to turn for help, pit the hotline is meeting it tended purpose. Marburger said corjn punishment is authoriteii law in '52 states and itappej be allowed in 12 statesthat elected to remain silento subject. He said New Jersey, | chusetts, Maine, Hawaii hibit it; California and 1| allow it only il parental pm sion has been given. Bera said most parents are shocked that they get no imme- Other problems tilers sought aid for :onnected with test ing, transportation, evaluation of teachers, single parenting. “We have an awful cases and it sounds bad said, “but the evidences! is not a benchmark. \ city schools have outlaw'd poral punishment. “We entourage pareij erywhere to work towanll end.” m 79 N MONDAY EVENING TUESDAY EVENING WEDNESDAY SPECIAL SPECIAL EVENING SPECIAL Salisoury Steak with Mexican Fiesta Dinner Chicken Fried Steak w cream Gravy Mushroom Gravy Two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas Whipped Potatoes and Choice of one other Whipped Potatoes w chili Vegetable Your Choice of Mexican Rice Roll or Corn Bread and Butter One Vegetable Patio Style Pinto Beans Coffee or Tea Roll or. Corn Bread and Butter Tostadas Coffee or Tea Coffee or Tea One Corn Bread and Butter San Antonio research park established! United Press International SAN ANTONIO — A newly- formed, non-profit foundation has taken a giant step toward making the city a major bi omedical center with the estab lishment of a 1,500-acre scien tific research park that could generate “tens of thousands of jobs,” of ficials said. Robert F. McDermott, presi dent of the United Services Au- THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL * ir* , p j c~if’ LzLanct —/LooTSTii Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing — Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee FOR YOUR PROTfcCTfON OUR PERSONNEL HAVE HEALTH CARDS. FRIDAY EVENING SPECIAL FRIED CATFISH FILET w TARTAR SAUCE Cole Slaw Hush Puppies Choice of one vegetable Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee SATURDAY NOON and EVENING SPECIAL Yankee Pot Roast Texas Style (Tossed Salad) Mashed Potato w gravy Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee “Quality First 1 SUNDAY SPECIAL NOON and EVENING ROAST TURKEY DINNERl Served with Cranberry Sauce Cornbread Dressing Roll or Corn Bread - Butter - Coffee or Tea Giblet Gravy And your choice of any One vegetable Prof essiona L ecretarie Q s W ee K April 24-30 Show Your Secretary She’s Appreciated! * Call and let us create some- * thing special! 846-5825 846-8169 209 W. Univ. Next to Deluxe * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * tomobile Ass<x:iation and chair man of the San Antonio Bio- Technology Foundation, said the park will provide a base for private industrial researchers and academically oriented sci entists to collaborate in produc ing new products. A formal announcement of the park’s establishment was scheduled Monday by officials from the foundation and the University of Texas Health Sci ence Center. McDermott said the park will also house an entrepreneural, applied development center that will work to turn basic re search into marketable, bi omedical products. The park will l>e built on San Antonio’s economically-de pressed west side near the Southwest Research Institute and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Plans also call for the Univer sity of Texas Health Science Center to establish the Institute of Biotechnology on 50 acres adjacent to the research park. The UT Institute will include a Center for Molecular Target ing, which will conduct ad vanced research on human cells and cancer research, said Dr. Frank Harrison, president of the Heallh ScienceCemet. Sm rounding the park* a large development ol ^ • u u s. master-planned i coiiunodaie commerda diMitial and public serna support the research coi McDermott said. "This park will pm San,J nio in a strong positioni race among American cil become a major center! ence and technology,” Mdl mott said. “The potent economic growth, whic produce more and beiterjl for the people of this dty,ii mendous.’’ I le said the park willhai potential “to generatelal thousands of jobs in thtf Antonio area.” Mayor Henry Cisneros,i lias spear headed effort! make San Antonio a tecta center, called the parko the most signficant c opments in the city’s hislon I “With this park and then bined research excellent! brings together, we ...cantt ize the dream of beingst biotechnological and t neering center," Cisneross McDonald's DRIVE-THRU WINDOW MCDONALD’S INTRAMURAL HIGHLIGHTS' By I< BREAKFAST EVERY At University Drive