Students paddled after participating in walkout

GREENBRIER, AR (KARK/CNN) – An Arkansas teen was given the choice of either receiving suspension or a paddling after he and two other students walked out of school to protest gun violence.

According to a Twitter post by Jerusalem Greer, her 17-year-old son and two other students chose corporal punishment after they walked out of their “rural, very conservative” public high school Wednesday while participating in the National School Walkout.

The 17-minute walkout was intended as a nationwide memorial and protest in honor of the 17 people who lost their lives in the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

Greenbrier Schools Superintendent Scott Spainhour says the students who broke the rules got to choose between in-school suspension or a swat with a paddle. He says paddling has to be approved by the parent.

Spainhour adds the students were not reprimanded for protesting but for breaking school rules in regard to leaving class.

Several residents in Greenbrier say they don’t disagree with the school using the paddle.

"If they break the rules and that's one of the rules, then I’m fine with it,” resident Melissa Hester said.

But many Twitter users, including actress Patricia Arquette, were outraged by the punishment.

“That is shocking. Your kids probably have a good court case and I hope sone "educators" get fired. Hitting kids 4 defending kids lives?” Arquette wrote.

Arkansas is one of 22 states where paddling in public schools is legal, with 41 percent of Arkansas students attending a school that allows the punishment.

An effort by state lawmakers to ban the disciplinary practice failed last year.

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