How is this an issue in 2012 America?

I read a news story this weekend that made me sick, which is no easy feat in the 24-hour murder/rape/war news cycle we live in.

The headline read: Taylor Santos, Texas High School Student, Left ‘Burned And Blistered’ After Male Vice Principal Spanked Her.

Woops, did I accidentally go to The Onion’s website? Was I in some 1891 news archive database?

Or was I just hit by the reality that there are places in this country where violence still is an accepted form of discipline?

The female sophomore at Springtown High School was being punished for cheating. She did not cheat, but another student copied her test (and without her knowledge, Santos said.)

Instead of taking two days of detention, Santos was given the option to be spanked. Santos accepted the offer, which was soon approved by her mother. (Texas law requires parent permission; how progressive!).

The vice principal of the school, an adult male, administered the spanking while another female faculty member was present in the room.

I guess the VP was trying to ensure Santos really understood that cheating was wrong, because Santos walked away (gingerly, I’d imagine) from that lesson with bruises and welts. Welts, as we all know, are on par with iPads and powerpoint presentations as a teaching tool.

The story caused a bit of a stir, but the outcry doesn’t look to be causing the right type of change.

According to Channel 8 news in Dallas/Fort-Worth, the school district’s superintendent is considering changing the rule that requires corporal punishment to be administered by a faculty member of the same sex. The superintendent wants to allow members of any sex to hit students of any sex. Way to get discrimination out of schools!

Talk about missing the point.

Santos’ mother, who is also very much to blame, said a man shouldn’t have spanked her daughter because men are so much bigger and stronger.

Well, in a way, she’s correct. At the same time, her argument is ludicrous. Men shouldn’t hit anyone — let alone students — because they are bigger and stronger.

Does Santos’ mother think it would be totally OK for a male sophomore to get repeatedly hit with a paddle? Because, you know, a male bottom can totally take the kind of abuse a female bottom is just too weak to handle. Or would it be OK if a female vice principal was the one causing the bruises on her daughter?

The initial rage I went into after reading the story subsided long enough for it to bide its time, fester and then re-emerge threefold.

I had texted my friend, a teacher in California, about the story. Like me, he couldn’t believe it. He joked to me, “Is that legal in Texas?” Upon finding out that it was legal, he responded “Wow, I was kidding. That’s actually legal?”

New Jersey was the first to ban the spanking of kids in school — in 1867! Since then, 30 states have followed suit. The majority of the hold-outs are in the South. No states in New England or on the West Coast allow the hitting of students. The non-South outliers trickle out West and include Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.

Oof. Come on, Wyoming. What would make anyone think it’s good to be in line with the South’s views on social issues? The South is a region of the country that has consistently been far behind when it comes to adjusting to acceptable social behavior.

If anyone out there wants to give me their argument for hitting students, let me stop you and take the words right out of your mouth.

“Look, I can’t support a ban of spanking in schools. I need to know there’s at least some chance another adult will cause physical harm to my child. I think children are too dumb and I’m way too impatient to teach with anything besides fear!”

Thanks. Point taken.

It’s not that just a few states are lagging behind, it’s America as a whole. Dozens of countries have banned corporal punishment in schools, including Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. Three of the world’s most war-torn nations are more progressive than America when it comes to child discipline. Maybe one of those countries can occupy and reform our school system.

Now, in order to give my opinion more credibility, I will cite a man who is much smarter, funnier and richer than I am. In his “Hilarious” special, comedian Louis C.K. talks about, among other things, hitting children.

“Here’s the crazy part about it. Kids are the only people in the world that you’re allowed to hit. Do you realize that? They’re the most vulnerable, and they’re the most destroyed by being hit, but it’s totally OK to hit them.”

No study has ever reported, “Boy! We were way off on this one! It turns out, every time you hit a child, they become a better person. Swing away!”

Do you know who supports hitting children? Adults who were hit. Abuse begets abuse. The difference between physical abuse at home and school-sanctioned abuse is not great enough to allow corporal punishment to continue.

No matter where it’s occurring or who is administering it, striking children — and expecting a positive outcome — is wrong.

And I can’t believe that there are places in this country where the previous sentence is controversial.

Statistics, news links and studies regarding corporal punishment can be found at www.stophitting.com.