The following article was published as a part of The Seminole’s 2016 April Fool’s issue! The information, quotations, and other content is completely fictitious and should not be considered a true representation of the school, the administration, or other governing entities.

Unruly students hold the upper hand in modern American classrooms. Disregarding rules of conduct, they throw expletives at professors and are able to meander around rooms in a fit of insubordination. Teachers are left defenseless; they are provided no tools but a phone to call for help. These students will not learn to respect authority until they are taught to do so. Henceforth, Seminole County needs to revisit the better days when corporal punishment allowed a paddle to hang on every classroom wall and a ruler to nest in every office desk.

The concept of physical punishment is not as far-fetched as students may think; Florida is among the 31 U.S. states where the practice is still legal. The County would issue rattan canes, wooden paddles and leather straps to all administration and educators, for use in striking disruptive students across the hands and buttocks. Wooden yard sticks and swatting with a bare hand would be likewise acceptable. This all plays toward the same concern: that those in charge should be given the power of a choice in physically maintaining order.

English teacher Ms. Judy Klumbaugh knows the instability of a modern American classroom all too well.

“I could be standing at the whiteboard, explaining an assignment for not even five minutes, and I’ll have students bickering among each other. I’m powerless against them; they’re physically bigger, stronger and show no respect,” explains Klumbaugh. She takes a moment to clear her throat and re-assert her position. “The County can’t leave teachers to restore order in a classroom without providing them with a means of control.”

Teachers feel the new form of punishment will teach the ‘bad’ student how to be ‘good.’ SHS Administration also believes that corporal punishment will encourage the students who behave to continue to do so. Klumbaugh’s students often see the struggle for power, teacher vs. student, and they feel as though it is an unfair fight.

Freshman Samuel Monroe says, “ I don’t think it will be a problem if teachers were allowed to discipline their students by hitting them on the hand with a ruler. I remember one day in class, Mrs. Klumbaugh told a student she was going to write him a referral and and the student said, ‘I don’t care, I will write it myself.’ I think students are just out of hand and need to learn respect.”

While some students feel as though this change is necessary in order to put teachers back in control of their classrooms, others believe that it crosses the line.

Senior Katerina Brown comments, “It really bothers me that teachers [would] actually be able to hit students with rulers. I understand that the punishment the administration uses now isn’t working, but they should not be allowed to physically touch us. In my opinion, nothing is really stopping them from going rogue and hitting students whenever they feel like it.”

Even though some believe that going back to corporal punishment should not be allowed, Seminole County teachers feel as though it is a good way to deal with the problem. The 2016-2017 school year will be a test run for the new punishment policy. The school board believes that if all goes well, they will permanently allow this not-so-new method of discipline.

Corporal punishment is a necessary means of reprimanding students in the education system, and Seminole High School will soon observe its benefits.