| In 1999, first-grade teacher Marie France
Milhomme faced Federal Child Abuse charges after beating six students at
Henry Reeves Elementary School with a 21-inch wooden paint stirrer with
“Mr. Stick” written on it.
Acting on an anonymous complaint, the
Miami-Dade public school police set up a hidden camera that caught
Milhomme beating a child inside a closet. Though the criminal charges were
dropped, the Miami-Dade County School District found that Milhomme had
violated the district's ban on excessive corporal punishment.
Florida allows
corporal punishment but gives local districts discretion on
whether to permit it in their schools.
In July 2000, the state Department of
Education filed an administrative complaint against Milhomme for breaking
the school district's rules; as of September 2000, Milhomme was
negotiating a settlement with the Florida DOE. She no longer works for the
Miami-Dade school district.
Kissell, Ted B., “Cruel
or Unusual Punishment?” Miami New Times, September 7, 2000;
Kissell, Ted B., “A Lesson in Mismanagement,” Miami New Times,
May 20, 1999; Walters, Sabrina, “Prosecution: Spanking Not A Felony
Charge,” Miami Herald, April 10, 1999; Kalfrin, Valerie,
“Teacher charged with child abuse,” APB News, March 3, 1999;
Walters, Sabrina, “Teacher Charged After Kids Complain Of Being
Spanked,” Miami Herald, March 3, 1999; “Teacher charged with
abuse,” Florida Times-Union, March 3, 1999. (REFERENCE)
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