`lunatic' Takes Police On Wild Trip 
Ten-hour Battle Ensues Following Routine Arrest

3 Care Centers Get New Owner 
Three Area Personal Care Centers Are Part Of A Major Purchase By 
Mechanicsburg-based Balanced Care Corp.

By SANJAY BHATT; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, February 02, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





When a Wyoming Valley West sixth-grader accused his teacher of grabbing him
by the neck, his mother reacted swiftly: She denounced the teacher on
television. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't believe a child should run around disrespecting an adult," said
Florence Myers, the student's mother. She admitted her son goofs off a lot and
has attended three elementary schools in the district. "I know he can push it
to the limit, but that's still no reason to put their hands on him." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But the teacher denied touching the child, and police cleared the teacher
this week for lack of evidence. Myers stands by her son's story. She is
talking to a lawyer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Myers' reaction reflects a shift in public attitude concerning physical
punishment of children and the role school officials may play. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Every time you lay a finger on anyone, there's a possibility you're going
to be charged with child abuse," said Karen Metta, an art teacher in the
Greater Nanticoke Area School District. "All the attitudes have changed." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1968, 94 percent of adults in the United States approved of parental
spanking, according to a study by the Family Research Laboratory at the
University of New Hampshire. By 1994, 68 percent of adults felt the same way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How is the swing in public attitude explained? There are many reasons
experts give, including studies claiming ill effects of any physical
punishment and greater international attention to children's rights. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And if parents now feel less prepared to spank their kids, they express
little support for allowing school officials to do it for them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's pretty clear corporal punishment in schools is decreasing at an
accelerated rate," said Murray Straus, a sociology professor at New Hampshire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Twenty-nine states have outlawed physical punishment in schools, according
to the Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education. Major cities, such
as Philadelphia, also have banned it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pennsylvania allows it, but there is a growing push to limit such
punishment in public schools. The school code gives teachers and principals
the right to exercise the same authority as parents in matters of conduct and
behavior as long as such physical force is "reasonable, not wanton, malicious
or excessive." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Approaches vary &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Luzerne County school districts have varying policies. Wyoming Valley West
and Crestwood have long-standing guidelines of not allowing corporal
punishment, such as paddling. Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Area and Hanover Area
allow reasonable physical punishment such as paddling -- but only as a last
step. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If parents do not want their kids to be spanked, they have to request this
in writing. Of about 7,500 students, Wilkes-Barre Area has 108 students -- 80
percent are in elementary school -- whose parents requested no physical
punishment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't believe it's anyone's job besides the parent's," said Patti
Golubieski, who has a 9-year-old daughter in a Wilkes-Barre elementary school.
She said she might not agree with another adult's method of discipline. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Some people rely too much on teachers and principals to discipline their
kids. The discipline has got to start at home." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And some educators, faced with dissent within their own ranks, attempt to
actively intervene in a child's life before the child becomes a problem at
school. Using a team of teachers, guidance counselors and administrators to
identify kids who are potential troublemakers, school staff meet with parents
and focus on helping their children at school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Sometimes you don't realize what's going on in that student's life outside
the classroom," said Charles Suppon, Valley West's director of curriculum and
pupil personnel services. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Florence Myers knows her illness and off-and-on hospitalization has
disturbed her son, who is dyslexic. She has three other children to take care.
She said she is happy with the counseling and special education classes
Wyoming Valley West has provided. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But she remembers never having to worry about teachers touching her when
she was a student in New Jersey. She remembers her son never being touched by
teachers at Crestwood School District. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And now she is fighting what she said has been the second instance of a
Wyoming Valley West teacher pushing and grabbing her son. Suppon said the
district investigates every accusation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Myers is not buying it this time: "When a kid comes home and is complaining
and complaining, a child shouldn't be denied, and it should be faced." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Physical Discipline Not A Hit With Some 
Faced With Growing Parental Disapproval Of 
Corporal Punishment, School Districts Look To 
Other Measures To Avoid Spoiling The Child

Physical Discipline Not A Hit With Some Faced With Growing Parental Disapproval Of Corporal Punishment, School Districts Look To Other Measures To Avoid Spoiling The Child