Tennessee teacher, principal face charges over school paddling. What to know about corporal punishment in the state.

Two Middle Tennessee educators are facing assault charges after paddling a student last month, shining new light on the controversial topic of corporal punishment.

Jackson Patterson, 39, and Tena Lynn, 54, both of Jackson County, to the northeast of Nashville, were arrested Nov. 7 after a grand jury returned charges of simple assault against Patterson and criminal responsibility of assault against Lynn earlier the same day.

Jackson County borders Macon and Smith Counties and was home to 11,617 people, as of the 2020 census. Gainesboro is the county seat.

The charges against Patterson, a teacher, and Lynn, an assistant principal, stem from an Oct. 4 incident at Dodson Branch Elementary.

A subsequent investigation, led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, showed that a Dobson Branch Elementary student had been paddled twice by Jackson while Lynn was present, a TBI press release said. It also noted that the student complained of pain afterwards and was examined at a medical facility.

A TBI spokesperson declined to release any further details about the incident, citing the open case.

Can children legally be spanked in Middle Tennessee schools?

There's no state law banning corporal punishment in Tennessee, but many districts, especially those in the Nashville area, have banned the practice altogether, some for more than a decade.

Cheatham County Schools banned corporal punishment in 2018, The Tennessean previously reported. It was banned the same year in Robertson County Schools.

Dickson County Schools banned the practice more than a decade ago, Director Danny Weeks said. And it was banned in Sumner County Schools about 15 years ago, a district representative said.

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Metro Nashville, Williamson County, Franklin and Murfreesboro City Schools have banned the practice even longer.

Earlier this year, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law that outlines new policies and procedures for districts that still carry out such punishments.

The law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee on April 28, prohibits school staff from providing corporal punishment to students with disabilities unless a local education agency's discipline policy permits the use of corporal punishment and a parent gives written consent to school officials.

Certain steps must also be taken by school officials before they can administer corporal punishment, such as addressing a student's behavior, providing consequences to a student to address the behavior, consulting with a parent or legal guardian about the student's behavior and considering an initial evaluation to determine whether a student has a disability, the law says.

In Jackson County, the school board's corporal punishment policy includes those steps plus several more, documents show.

The board's policy says the director of schools determines whether corporal punishment is administered, and the punishments are governed by several guidelines. For example, they can only be doled out after other, less stringent measures have failed or if the student's conduct is of such nature that corporal punishment is the only reasonable form of punishment.

Prior to administering corporal punishment, the instrument used must be approved by the school's principal, the policy said. It also notes that the punishment must be given in front of another employee, acting as a witness, and by a school official "approved by the principal."

Patterson and Lynn have been placed on administrative leave and the district is cooperating with the authorities, Jackson County Director of Schools Jason Hardy said.

"We hope this matter is resolved in a timely matter and that we may continue to serve our students to the best of our ability,” Hardy said.

Reached for comment last week, Dodson Branch Elementary School Principal Brian Lee said he couldn't comment on the investigation or provide any details on the incident that led to the charges, "as it is an ongoing and sensitive matter.

“However, I do want to take this opportunity to express our unwavering support for our dedicated teachers and staff who work tirelessly to provide the best education for our students. Our students continue to be the heart of Dodson Branch Elementary, and we are committed to their well-being and success.”

Is corporal punishment used in other states?

The conversation around corporal punishment in schools has historically been a controversial one, with some condemning the practice while others argue its benefits.

In a recent U.S. Department of Education key policy letter, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona shared the department’s stance on corporal punishment.

“Our nation's schools should make every effort to provide children and youth with safe and supportive environments that protect and enhance their physical, emotional and mental well-being,” Cardona wrote in March.

“Unfortunately, some schools continue to put the mental and physical well-being of students at risk by implementing the practice of corporal punishment, defined by the U.S. Department of Education as the practice of paddling, spanking or otherwise imposing physical punishment on students… I urge you to move swiftly toward condemning and eliminating it.”

Twenty-three states either allow or do not expressly prohibit the use of corporal punishment in their schools, the letter said.

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming are among the states that allow corporal punishment in schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

But, some of these states — Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee — have banned the practice on students with disabilities.

Other states, like Connecticut, Kansas, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado and South Dakota, do not expressly prohibit the use of corporal punishment in schools. But Colorado does ban corporal punishment on students with disabilities.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Middle Tennessee paddling case shines new light on corporal punishment