More than 500 students, parents and other supporters of a Catholic school in New Orleans marched on the offices of Archbishop Gregory Aymond to oppose his call for an end to the school’s policy of using corporal punishment :
The protesters called on the archbishop to issue a “public, unequivocal retraction . . . of all statements linking St. Augustine disciplinary policies with violence, particularly in the New Orleans community.”Protesters also demanded proof of Aymond’s claims that parents have complained about the paddling policy, along with evidence for a study he has cited to bolster his position.
The archbishop has said corporal punishment institutionalizes violence, runs counter to Catholic teaching and good educational practice, and violates local archdiocesan school policy.
Corporal punishment runs counter to Catholic teaching? I did not know that. I suspect that news would also come as a surprise to Father Dolan and Stephen Dedalus .
