Running to Prevent Child Abuse

Here is a photo of Anne Walters, a past President of the Child Abuse Council (CAC), finishing the BIX on Saturday, July 25. This year she asked for several people to "sponsor" her to raise money for the CAC - and so we felt like we were part of her effort!

The CAC, like so many human service agencies that do business with the State of Illinois, has been in difficult financial straits this year. The State of Illinois is hundreds of thousands of dollars in arrears in paying for services. It has been a roller coaster hearing that program funds are cut by various degrees - 70%, 100%, 40% - makes it hard to plan carefully the year ahead.

I have been on the CAC board for years and a link appears on this blog page.

This morning I read an interesting article about how Disabled Kids receive corporal punishment more than other kids in schools and states that still permit such punishment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/education/11punish.html?_r=1&hpw

What I find especially interesting is that the majority of states no longer permit corporal punishment in the schools. The CAC here in the Quad Cities were part of the effort to end corporal punishment first in the Iowa Schools, then later in the Illinois Schools. That was a big effort and controversy at the time - now it seems as basic as wearing a seat belt when you are in a car.

Since the majority of states now forbid corporal punishment in the schools, could it be time to talk about national policy?

Or might there be something more specific. Such as, if a child has an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) where they are receiving special services for a handicapping condition, and thus the school system is receiving federal education dollars, that they may not subject that kid to corporal punishment in the schools? Basically, if the naughty behavior is a result of their handicapping condition it seems inhumane to paddle then - it hurts; it humiliates; it illustrates violence as a way to solve problems; it is big powerful people hurting little vulnerable people.

I think this is certainly worthy of discussion in civil society.