The debate over who, where, and how a child is punished at home or at school will continue for centuries to come.
(SALEM) - The debate over how a child should be punished while at school is growing in Salem after a questionable form of punishment came to light Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic School in South Salem
The principal was was seen punishing students by using what some call child labor.
Two visitors to the school on Friday say they saw two kindergarteners, both boys, cleaning the base of a wall with a toothbrush.
When they asked a staff member about the situation, they say they were told that that is how the principal, Debilyn Janota, deals with punishments at the school, and has for years.
Bud Bunce with Archdiocese of Portland says the Archdiocese and parents of children who attend the school back the principal's form of punishment.
“The two students were caught fighting, and the principal felt the best way to punish the students was use their excess energy and have them clean base of the wall with a bucket of water and a toothbrush for the betterment of the school, we support that decision” Bunce said.
He says the children were going to pick-up trash on the school campus, but rain changed that to wall cleaning. He added that whenever a student is punished at the school, the parents are notified.
Bunce would not comment on if there had been any complaints in the past about punishments handed out at the school.
He also declined to comment on how long this form of punishment was going on, and if it was going on at other Catholic schools across the state.
Oregon Department of Education spokesman Gene Evans says the state of Oregon has no authority over the situation.
Sally Anderson, who lives near the school, says the situation is outrageous.
“Someone needs to take a stand and protect those kids, this isn’t the ‘good old days’ when this type of punishment is accepted, in my view this is a form a child abuse and the principal should be fired.”
But another resident, Mark Davis of Salem, says he is fine with the principal decision.
“I’m not Catholic, but I believe that children need some form of discipline other than the standard ‘sit in the corner’ when they do something wrong.”
Christina Johnson said it’s a debate over religious beliefs.
“I feel that most religions would frown upon this, while Catholics feel that this is o-k, that is their right, and we should not have a say as to what they should or should not believe is the right form of punishment for their children.”
Some Salem-Keizer public school educators said that if they had used this type of discipline on their students not only would they be fired, but blasted by the public, and the media as well.
Janota has been at the school since 1994.
The school has students from kindergarten through grade six, and has a current enrollment of about 158 children.
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