January 28, 2010
Senator Jake Knotts of South Carolina has recently proposed a bill giving teachers, principals, schools and school districts absolute civil and criminal protection from liability for any injury or harm resulting from their beating school children. No this did not happen in the Middle Ages. This is January 2010! Here is the language of this amazing bill:
Proposed Bill – S. 1042
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 25, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
“Section 59-25-60. (A) A teacher who disciplines a student on school district property by means of corporal punishment while acting within the scope of his employment is immune from all civil and criminal liability that may arise from the incident. The same immunity is extended to the principal, school, school administrators, school district, and school district administrators for which the teacher is employed.
(B) For purposes of this section:
(1) ‘Corporal punishment’ means physical punishment inflicted by an adult in authority within the guidelines established by the school district on a student enrolled in a public school of a school district of this State.
(2) ‘Principal’ means the administrative head of a public school of this State.
(3) ‘Teacher’ includes both a teacher as defined in Section 59-1-130 and a teacher aide as defined in Section 59-1-140.
(4) ‘School district’ means a legal entity as defined in Section 59-1-160.”
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
There must some sort of support for this in South Carolina, but how can anyone believe that children should be beaten and that neither they, their parents, nor their guardians should have any recourse to protect them. It seems that many people do.
Here are some interesting facts on this issue: