November 9, 2009


Dear President Barack Obama,

We are writing to alert you to a gross and unconscionable violation of our American school children resulting from our government failing to protect them from school abuse under the 14th amendment of the Constitution, its “equal protection clause” for ALL US citizens.

20 US states and its territories sanction beating our school children with wooden boards, straps, switches and the like for committing “deemed” school infractions. 50 US states and its territories have no federal laws prohibiting the use of harmful seclusions and restraints. These practices are universally condemned by recognized leaders in the fields of pedagogy and psychology.

It is a widespread problem and those with authority to correct it pretend to be unaware.

The U S is the only Western industrialized democracy that sanctions school abuse.

It is one of the causes of the high drop-out rate that afflicts our schools in paddling states. It promotes violence by modeling violence. It signals its users' incompetence. Here are other alarming facts about this matter: The reported number of American school beatings in school years prior to your election has hovered around 250,000. Since your election in fall 2008, school year 2008-09 ended with a report of 350,000 cases of school beatings and reporting is not mandatory. That places our American school system in a “state of emergency!”

This single ASTRONOMICAL jump of 100,000 reports in one school year is unprecedented by any other school year in American history.

Furthermore, this increase has occurred in spite of the August 20, 2008 release of the ACLU: “A Violent Education” report which cites widespread and numerous cases of American school abuse. The problem has persisted in spite of the fact that this report has been in the hands of US Government Officials empowered to end this scourge since day one of its release.

California Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey had this to say, “School corporal punishment is nothing more than legalized child abuse.”

On behalf of our American school children still waiting for their 14th amendment right, we call on you as Chief Enforcer of Law to place an IMMEDIATE federal ban on American school corporal punishment as it applies to “paddling” and the use of “harmful seclusions and restraints” on the grounds that these practices are UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Replacing these practices with proven “nonviolent models” of discipline, that are both respectful and kind producing problem-solvers, independent thinkers and leaders, is the only rational alternative.

Your extending to our school children their 14th amendment right as US citizens is all that is needed for them to gain protection, just as doing so for lynch mob victims was all that was needed to bring relief and protection to them in early 20th century America.

According to the Supremacy clause, article vi, paragraph 2, “state and local laws” may not supersede the Constitution. School corporal punishment policies are “state and local laws.” Please review the three most sound, compelling and professionally written documents on the topic of American school abuse of this millennium found at the top of our Home page: www.TheHittingStopsHere.com:

• The ACLU report: A Violent Education, by Ms. Alice Farmer

• The GAO report: Seclusions & Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers, by Investigator Gregory Kutz

• The UC Davis Law Review: STATE ACTORS BEATING CHILDREN: A CALL FOR JUDICIAL RELIEF, by Professor of Law, Deana Pollard Sacks

By clicking our Home page Media link, please view photos reflecting the results of school beatings that average more than 2000 reports daily in the US and its territories.

The Father of Our Nation had this to say about abiding by the Law of the Land: “The Constitution is the guide that I will never abandon.” George Washington

Sincerely,

Paula Flowe, Exec. Director
Tony Brian, Asst. Exec. Director
The Hitting Stops Here!
A campaign for teaching kindness and respect in schools everywhere.
www.TheHittingStopsHere.com
info@thehittingstopshere.com
408.223.7797
Board members of Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE) Jordan Riak, Exec. Director, PTAVE,
www.nospank.net
riak@nospank.net
925.831.1661

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President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Av NW
Wash DC, 20500

President Barack Obama’s email acces: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

President Barack Obama’s direct Comment line: 202.456.1111