But there was no mistake. This “Corporal Punishment Parental Consent Form” was apparently sent to parents of Leeds Elementary School, asking them to specify whether or not they want corporal punishment used on their child. Forms that are not returned to the district are seen as implicit consent.

"According to Leeds City Schools Public Policy, parents or legal guardians who do not want corporal punishment to be administered to their child/children must inform the principal of the school on an annual basis,” the permission slip reads, in part.

“I really thought I was seeing things. I had to read it a few times,” Chandler said on the phone to The Huffington Post. “I checked off the ‘no’ box, but I realized a lot of kids are going to have the ‘yes’ box checked off.”

She also scrawled an impassioned note on the bottom of the form: "I can not imagine how it would ever be ok to show violence towards anyone. Hitting a child is beyond disgraceful. Anyone who could hit a child should be put in jail."

Leeds is one of many school districts in 19 states that allow school administrators to use physical force against students, according to the Center for Effective Discipline.

In the 2005 – 2006 school year, 223,190 school children in the country had physical force used against them by educators, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Approximately 4.5 percent of Alabama students were subjected to physical punishment that year -- the third-highest rate out of any state in the nation. And while nationwide support for corporal punishment is low, efforts to eradicate the practice seem mostly to be at a standstill, according to The New York Times.

Still, Chandler is trying to do her part to eradicate corporal punishment in her district and state. She started a Change.org petition asking President Obama and other elected officials to “STOP corporal punishment in all public schools,” and she is flooding the mailboxes of school administrators with literature about the dangers of physical discipline. She has also been in touch with fellow activists working to end corporal punishment across the country.

“I really don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just trying to change the rules,” Chandler told HuffPost. “My immediate concern is for all those other kids [whose parents checked yes on the form] because those children are my child’s future colleagues and neighbors.”
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Let's see if I get this right.  A kid acts out in the classroom or playground.  Maybe throws things in classroom or playground that hits another student or the teacher.  So the kid is sent to the Principal's office for discipline.  But, due to the move against corporal punishment that Wendy Chandler has made possible, the Principal can only wag his finger at the child and say, "No, No." 
 
The Principal calls the kid's parents, and maybe one of them shows up to pick up the child.  Principal tells the parent(s) what damage was created by the child's actions, usually an hour or more after the incident.  Parents ask the Principal, "What do you want us to do about it?  We can put the kid on restriction, but we work and can't monitor the child's every action.  Besides, it looks like you already expelled the kid for a couple days from school.  How are we suppose to monitor our child while we're working?"
 
Once again, parent(s) are expecting the school to teach the children discipline.  Once again, parent(s) are abdicating their parental responsibility to their child to the school.  After all, the school probably sees them more than the parent(s).
 
Okay, then Wendy Chandler (and others like you), let me ask you this:  How are schools suppose to protect the children on campus from violence brought on by other students?  Do you really think a finger wag and possible expulsion is going to be enough?  At what point of violence against a classmate or teacher is it permission able to spank a child?
 
Wendy Chandler, have you contacted the school district to ask what they mean by "corporal punishment"?  Wendy Chandler, have you found out what actions determine "corporal punishment"?  Wendy Chandler, how are you going to feel when it is your kid hurt, possibly in the hospital due to injuries, that come from the actions of another classmate?  Wendy Chandler, do you think wagging a finger at that child will deliver the message that there are bad consequences for bad actions?
 
I deal with "kids" who were never truly held responsible for their actions while growing up every day.  As adults, they still aren't catching on that there will be punishment for their misdeeds.  After all, they got away with it while growing up, why should they worry about it now?
 
If the "corporal punishment" is spanking, but that action comes after other levels of punishment, like after school detention, cleaning up campus detail, etc are met, why is it wrong to spank? 
 
Too many parents are not part of the child's every day activities.  Parents are not as involved in schools activities, PTA, classroom volunteers, like there was when I was growing up.  And yes, I understand you work full time, but there are so many ways you can be of service and then be there front line to witness the ongoing responsibilities and problems our educators face every day.
 
Since there are too many parents who say, "Not my child, my child never would act out like that," or say, "What do you mean they can't come to school because of their actions," corporal punishment is needed.  Schools need the authority and ability to punish a child appropriately to the level of misdeed that is warranted. 
 
Let's get real.  They aren't getting strung up by their feet and hands or being whipped.
 
They are being spanked when their actions have determined that wagging a finger or working school yard clean up is not enough.  Grow up Wendy Chandler.  Look at the world around you.  Too many kids have grown up into out of control adults because they don't know how to behave in an acceptable manner.