mail this InsideTeaching entry to a friend
22 November 2004: Duct Tape and Other Disciplinary Measures (1 of 3)
I recently heard a morning radio show discussing school discipline as it relates to duct tape. I was baffled by the connection, and so I went straight to Google to find out what all the fuss was about. I was shocked to find so many articles (about 10,000) in response to my search for "duct tape student discipline." Most articles were discussing one of two incidents, summarized below.
On September 18, 2001, WKRN News 2 in Nashville reported that a high school freshman in his keyboarding class had is mouth duct-taped shut by his teacher. The teacher was a 28-year veteran with a completely clean disciplinary record. The student was 14,on medication for ADD and high blood pressure, and admittedly "rambunctious." According to the article, "Corporal punishment is allowed in Maury County schools, but physical contact cannot be abusive or cause mental anguish."
On September 23 of this year, ChannelOne.com reported that duct tape was used to overcome a middle school dress code violation in Dunlap, Indiana. According to the report, the 12-year-old student's underwear was showing above the waistband of his pants, though it was hidden underneath his untucked shirt. When his teacher sent him to the Vice Principal, she asked the student to tuck in his shirt, then duct-taped his waist three times around to hold up his pants and sent him back to class. The boy's father expressed the concern that his son would be mocked by his classmates as a result of the incident.
|
