Corporal punishment in Middletown schools is strictly taboo - unless the little "monster" deserves it and his parents approve of the whacking. The school board's official policy on the matter states that bodily punishment can be used when discipline, in the opinion of both parent and teacher, can be secured in no other way. Only during the past year has that been a board policy. Before that, however, it was the practical method in the school system, Acting Superintendent of Schools Hugh Butler points out...

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