School officials at Springtown High School in Texas have no problem with spanking, so much so that they voted last night to allow administrators to spank students of the opposite sex because there aren't enough women to mete out "corporal punishment." The change in policy also requires, as the AP reports, that "a same-gender school official must witness the paddling" to ensure that no funny business is happening—the policy was changed because two teenage girls there reportedly suffered bruises after being spanked by male assistant principals. And one of the girls' mother even told the AP that she's fine with the school spanking "because they need it once in a while, and I got them when I was a kid."  

If this all sounds foreign or creepy or the beginnings of something that shouldn't involve children, it's helpful to remember that Texas allows corporal punishment. And there have been legislators, like State Rep. Alma Allen  who have tried and failed to abolish the policy--her bill HB916 is still "pending in the committee." But it's also helpful to remember that corporal punishment is also optional.

According to Springtown's policy, parents at Springtown who don't want to see their teenage daughters being spanked by grown men (and their sons too), can always opt out by providing a written statement (below):

Photo by: Everett Collection via Shutterstock

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Alexander Abad-Santos