NRS-17568 | Punishment book [Shepardstown Public School]

Regulations under the Public Schools Act of 1866, adopted by the Council [of Education] 27 February 1867, regulated the punishment of children in schools by stipulating: “In the government of the pupils, all degrading and injurious punishments are to be avoided. The Teacher’s discipline must be mild but firm, his manner kindly, his demeanour cheerful and calculated to gain the confidence of his pupils, and his language marked by strict propriety. While he should overlook no offence, his aim should be to prevent the necessity for punishment by the improvement of the offender.”In relation to corporal punishment the regulations continue: “Corporal punishment should be inflicted in extreme cases only, and then as a last resource; and the teacher must keep a record of the time and place at which pupils were corporally chastised, the amount of such punishment and the nature of the offence.”Uniform stationery soon evolved to enable compliance with these regulations. These punishment books are registers of all instances of corporal punishment administered to pupils. The information they detail includes: the pupil’s name; age; nature of offence; amount of punishment (i.e. number of strokes); the instrument of punishment (almost invariably the cane); by whom sent; the date of the punishment; and by whom the punishment was inflicted.The inside cover of the volumes provided contained instructions to teachers on ‘corporal punishment,’ including the following stipulations:*"Corporal punishment should only be inflicted by the principal;*Corporal punishment should be restricted to extreme cases only;*Teachers must keep a record of the punishments inflicted;*Corporal punishment should not be considered an aid to instruction, nor should it be inflicted for failure to learn or neglect of homework;*Corporal punishment of girls over 12 years of age is strictly prohibited;*A teacher’s efficiency will be evaluated by the extent to which the government of the school is secured without resorting to corporal punishment."

1866年《公立学校法案》（Public Schools Act of 1866）项下的监管条例，由教育委员会（Council of Education）于1867年2月27日审议通过，对学校惩戒学生的行为作出规范，其中明确规定：“在学生管理工作中，须杜绝一切侮辱性与伤害性惩戒手段。教师的管教方式应温和而坚定，态度须友善，举止应开朗得体，以赢得学生的信任，其言语需严格合乎礼仪规范。教师虽不应姑息任何违纪行为，但其核心目标应是通过感化违纪者，从根源上避免惩罚的必要。”针对体罚（corporal punishment），该条例进一步明确：“体罚仅可在极端情形下实施，且须作为最终处置手段；教师必须完整记录学生遭受体罚的时间、地点、惩罚强度与违纪性质。”为契合上述条例的合规要求，统一制式的体罚登记册很快得以推广。此类登记册完整记录了所有对学生实施体罚的案例，所载详细信息包括：学生姓名、年龄、违纪性质、惩罚强度（即鞭打次数）、体罚工具（几乎均为藤鞭）、呈报主体、惩罚日期以及施罚者。该类卷册的内封印有针对教师的体罚相关指引，具体规定如下：
* 体罚仅可由校长实施；
* 体罚仅可限定于极端情形；
* 教师必须对所实施的体罚进行记录；
* 体罚不得作为教学辅助手段，亦不得因学生学习不佳或未完成家庭作业而实施；
* 严禁对12岁以上的女生实施体罚；
* 教师的教学效能将以其在不诉诸体罚的前提下维持学校秩序的程度为评估依据。