Categories: People

School Principal Who Hit 6-Year-Old Girl With Paddle “Did Not Commit Crime,” According To The Police

The county sheriff said he “'saw no crime being committed” in the viral video.

Melissa Carter, principal of Central Elementary School, is currently under investigations after hitting a 6-year-old student with a paddle.
In a viral video secretly taken by the child’s mother, the head teacher can be seen punishing the child for reportedly damaging a computer. The mother’s attorney described the act as “barbaric” and “outrageous.,” adding “corporal punishment has to end.”

A principal from Florida sparked some controversy online after a video went viral on social media. In the footage, the head teacher can be seen hitting a six-year-old girl several times using a paddle.

According to reports, Central Elementary School principal Melissa Carter did the act as a punishment after the child was caught scratching a computer. Apparently, the incident happened after Cecilia Self, the school clerk, informed the child’s mother, telling her that they will use a small paddle to smack her daughter.

Because of language barrier, the confused mother still went to the school to witness the punishment. ” She, however, decided to record everything using a camera she hid in her purse.

Brent Probinsky, the mother’s lawyer, said his client is an undocumented immigrant who’s afraid of being deported. “She was confused as to her rights, what she should do,” he said. ”The mother didn’t know if they had a right to paddle her.”

“In my view, this is a crime,” Probinsky remarked. “This is an aggravated battery. What happened is barbaric, outrageous. Corporal punishment has to end.”

While corporal punishment remains legal in some counties within the state of Florida, it is banned in Hendry – where the incident occurred. A police report was filed against Carter and Self but Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden declared that he “saw no crime being committed” after reviewing the video.

Meanwhile, a State Attorney’s Office memo also indicated that it is clear that “using a paddle to spank a child is not likely to cause death or great bodily harm.”

As of this writing, Carter has already been placed on administrative leave. Investigations are now ongoing and the Clewiston Police Department assured that they are “working diligently to ensure that the rights of all parties in this matter are preserved.”