A school in Texas has decided to stop giving pupils birthday spankings after parents complained about the “special celebration”.
Bridget Williams, headteacher at Alvord Elementary School, had reportedly been smacking each child on their birthday for the last eight years, before giving them a special pencil and a piece of candy.
In a previous letter to parents, she made it clear the tradition was optional and that students could ask for a “hug or a high five” instead.
She said: “In 8 years at Alvord Elementary I’ve only had 5 or less students request something other than the birthday swat.”
The letter added that all birthday celebrations take place in front of the CCTV camera and with other adults in the room.
“If you are requesting your child not to participate by receiving birthday/special day spankings – this request must be in writing,” she continued.
The superintendent of the local independent school district, Dr Randy Brown, said in a statement that only two complaints had ever been made about the tradition.
He said: “I myself have a child attending school at Alvord Elementary and I personally don’t have any issue with it.
“The birthday spankings are of course not actual spankings, they are a traditional celebration of a child’s birthday.”
But he said he “supported” the principal’s decision to discontinue the tradition.
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