by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion have the potential to retraumatize students,” said Franklin County School board member Sara Liechty at the April 10 board meeting introducing a discussion about eliminating corporal punishment. “Corporal punishment is a detriment to children. We didn’t know this 20 years ago, but we know it today. When we know better, we need to do better.” Liechty cited the Trauma-Informed Discipline Practices recommended by the Tennessee Department of Education in support of her argument for abolishing corporal punishment in the schools. All Franklin County Schools are currently engaged in Trauma-Informed Discipline training. Two have nearly completed the program and one anticipates being certified before the end of the year.

“All our schools are actively working on implementing trauma informed practices [TID], and if they’re working on this, they’re not using [corporal punishment] as a strategy or part of their discipline policy.” Liechty said when corporal punishment was used to attempt to “extinguish a behavior,” the behavior would “resurface” in the future. Conversely, trauma informed analysis and restorative practices “reach the child” on a different level and change behavior. Liechty pointed out if corporal punishment was eliminated, the Code of Conduct would also need to be modified to reflect the policy change.

Board Chair Cleijo Walker said the board needed to seek input from the school principals on eliminating corporal punishment before initiating a policy change. Board member Linda Jones recommended asking school principals, “What procedures would you follow if you don’t follow what we have in place now … if we take away some of the discipline practices like suspension and corporal punishment, what would take their place? It needs to be proactive and preventative. We need to let the principals know we’re looking for those kinds of suggestions.”

Liechty said she was not proposing the district eliminate suspension and expulsion. “Expulsion is in state law,” she said.

“Discipline is to teach. Most of what we have here is to punish,” Liechty insisted. “If we have a trauma informed discipline program, we are working with the children to teach them strategies to function within their world. This is a pro-child plea from me to please consider with principal input this cumbersome policy be eliminated and changed to say we will not use corporal punishment.”

Director of Schools Stanley Bean will meet with school principals on May 4 to discuss eliminating corporal punishment as a disciplinary practice. The board will revisit the issue at their regular meeting May 8.

The board will hold a workshop at 6 p.m., April 18, to discuss the proposed 2023-2024 budget. Bean said the draft budget incorporated data from the state’s new funding formula Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement.