PARENTAL DISCIPLINE INCORRECT

More Massachusetts madness

A father who used a belt to spank his 12-year-old son over forgotten homework is facing a felony assault charge and an investigation by the state Department of Social Services. Charles S. Enloe, 42, of 4 Cortelli Court, Plymouth, hit his son on the buttocks three times with a belt after the boy forgot his homework assignment at school, police said. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Enloe said he was surprised at his arrest, but that he doesn't blame police for doing their job. ‘‘I never knew it would be considered assault with a deadly weapon,'' Enloe said. ‘‘And it shouldn't be. It shouldn't be a crime if it's discipline. I know there are parents out there that abuse their children, but I'm definitely not one of them. But police have to follow the letter of the law. My father was a police officer. I'm not angry at them, and I don't blame my son.'' Enloe said he hopes the courts will dismiss the charge after reviewing the facts. ‘‘I have no previous record,'' he said.

He said his son is still living with him despite the incident. He and the boy's mother are divorced, according to the police. The mother obtained a restraining order against Enloe on her son's behalf, but the order was temporary and has expired, he said. ‘‘The incident got blown out of proportion,'' Enloe said.

Police Capt. Michael Botieri said officers have more leeway about arresting a parent for domestic violence when an open hand is used for spanking. ‘‘When a parent uses an instrument to discipline, it makes it more difficult for us,'' Botieri said. ‘‘The belt pushed this over the edge.'' The incident happened at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and left no marks or bruises, according to police.

The Department of Social Services is investigating the complaint after its Cape Cod area office received a report of suspected abuse on Friday. DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said the allegation was made by a person or agency required by law to report any suspected incident of child abuse. She would not identify the person. Police, teachers, health care workers and clergy are all required to report cases of suspected abuse in Massachusetts. Monteiro said the case is not considered an emergency and said the DSS has up to 10 days to investigate the report. Monteiro said the department usually interviews family members, the child's pediatrician, school officials, neighbors and others. ‘‘The allegations have to be met with evidence,'' she said..... the DSS spokeswoman, said that under the Massachusetts corporal punishment law, it is not illegal for a guardian to strike a child physically or spank a child so long as the child isn't injured or ‘‘left with a bruise, bumps, cuts and you would also consider the frequency of the punishment.''

In 1997, the Rev. Donald Cobble of Woburn found himself thrust into the national spotlight when his then 9-year-old son, Judah, asked a teacher not to send a note home about his school behavior because he feared that Cobble would spank him with a belt, as he had done before. The teacher contacted social service workers, who found that this form of discipline posed a ‘‘substantial risk of injury.'' But two years and $62,000 in legal fees later, Cobble's name was removed from the state registry of child abusers after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court exonerated him, saying that Judah suffered only temporary marks as a result of the spanking. The case was closed.

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Oh what silly politically correct webs we weave: "Do you, as I often do, talk to yourself as you watch TV news or read the daily paper? ... Here are some examples: ITEM: Did you hear about the guy studying in Syracuse, N.Y., for a graduate teaching degree who recently got kicked out of school because of a paper for which he got an A-minus, a pretty good grade in a course at that level? It was Scott McConnell's politically incorrect views that landed him in trouble: He wrote, simply, that 'corporal punishment has a place in the classroom.' He had been spanked once in elementary school, three whacks on the backside, and the only thing wounded was his pride. 'I never wanted that again,' he recalled, now 26. 'It was good for me.' 'Not so,' apparently thought the director of Le Moyne College's graduate program. In fact, McConnell's opinion about spanking raised 'grave concerns,' he was informed."



Arizona: At least cakes and cookies are still allowed so far: "Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law Tuesday a ban on the sale of junk food in Arizona's elementary, middle and junior high schools. The measure, which takes effect in 2006, is aimed at candy, soft drinks and other sugary or fatty snacks. It would not affect sales of junk food before or after school hours, such as during athletic events. The bill was backed by health groups and the state school superintendent as a way to combat obesity and promote good nutrition. Critics called it an intrusion on school districts' authority. In a compromise, high schools were exempted from the ban." [Wait 'til they find out how calorific milk and fruit juice are!! Will ANYTHING then be allowed?]