Gilbert Leal, who (... fondly?) remembers getting swats back at W.H. Gaston Middle School back in the day, wants to bring the paddle back to Dallas Independent School District, just like they've done down in Temple. Writes the recent DISD tutor on his Web site, Bring Back Licks:
It's time for change at DISD. No more trustees with the same lame agenda. All the talk about "transparency" and "financial accountability" don't mean crap in the classroom! Fact - Kids have no real consequences for their actions. Referrals? Big deal. In School Suspension? Easy. Well once upon a time in DISD, when licks were around, ISS was not!Comments on his Web site suggest that teachers are all for it; some parents too. Leal told WFAA-Channel 8 last night that three trustees are interested. So too is CNN. I spent the better part of the morning going through my Thomas Jefferson yearbooks, in which I coulda sworn there's a picture of Mr. Mathis, our old assistant principal, proudly displaying his paddle. Fairly sure it's now on display in the Swatting Hall of Fame.
