http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/alabama-teen-erica-deramus-suspended-over-too-revealing-prom-dress/19425583?icid=main|main|dl1|link5|http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/alabama-teen-erica-deramus-suspended-over-too-revealing-prom-dress/19425583

I found this very disturbing. Yes maybe her cleavage is a little much but honestly when your that big there is no way around it. But I cant believe they paddled seniors in high school, (for my friends in other countries if you didn't know that is grade or year 12.)

The comment about protecting kids and not managing them was BS. They paddled 17 people (when I was a senior I was 18, legally an adult) How are they protecting adults by paddling them for wearing clothes that they didn't approve of?

THAT dress is meant to be revealing? Jesus you should see some of the stuff majority of girls over here wear for a night out!

That's so fucked. And paddling? Is that a form of corporal punishment? Is that legal?

Wow this whole story is fucked.

On one side, she broke the rules, which were clearly lined up. She knew what would happen. They're not guidelines, they're rules.

On the other side, paddling? What the fuck? That's definitely not legal.

Apparently, the Supreme Court decided on a case years ago (Ingram v. Wright) that corporal punishment doesn't violate the 8th Amendment against excessive cruel and unusual punishment.

Doesn't make sense to me, either!

Argh, just what Alabama needs...one of these stories. :-P

Yes, for some stupid reason, corporal punishment is still legal in Alabama. Not all public schools here do it, though, just because it's legal. Obviously, a lot of people think there's no need for that anymore, especially at high school level! I remember it being present when I was in elem. school, but not at my high school. It's pretty odd to me that Oxford still would. But, it tends to be rural schools that still do that.

Parents give permission for it to be administered-if not, they don't do it.

There are actually 21 states where they still do this, so while it is stupid, it's not just us.

Paddling for punishment? Seriously? LOL That's actually amusing! I didn't know such a form of punishment even existed in schools in the first place. =P Anyway, They said that the students were informed of the dress code 3 times before the prom so she deserves what she got! The school makes the rules and students should act accordingly. That dress WAS revealing. Just because there are even more revealing dresses than that doesn't mean she wasn't treated fairly.

As someone from another country, I'd like to reassure you that most of us are quite aware what a high school senior is!

What is paddling though? Does that mean hitting someone with a paddle? I cannot believe such a thing could be legal!

Yes, paddling is like getting a spanking.. with a paddle. It's still a legal form of punishment, unfortunately, in 21 states here in the US, although in 2006-2007 it was only widely used in 13 states. You can see a map here.

That's HOT, yo!! ;D

Yeah, like I said above, the Supreme Court ruled it isn't against the Constitution. It is used rarely, but it is still weird that some districts still do it!
(My elem. school right now doesn't, just for the record. I am not sure any of the ones I have been in, do. I never heard of anyone getting paddled in all my field experiences in the different local schools)

But, in my internship manual, it does say in the fine print that interns 'aren't allowed to administer corporal punishment". I guess that is there in case they put you in a school that still does it. But good grief, I would never ever do that, anyway!

Yes I used to get them all the time in elementary school & a couple of times in high school. They hurt like hell & leave purple welps all over your ass! Sometimes they put holes in them so they sting worse. They still do it in almost every school that is in my area. But I dare someone to even threaten to hit my child in school..they would have that paddle upside their own head. ;D

That dress looks fine to me! I really don't see what is wrong with it. How ridiculous to apply a dress code to a PROM. Fair enough apply it when the kids are attending classes... but to prom? I know we were allowed to wear whatever we wanted to our prom.

And while I understand that the dress code was quite clear, and hence she probably should have been more careful when selecting the dress, I hardly think she deserved to be hit with a paddle for it! Ironic though seeing as the school claims the policy is to 'protect' children.

Sorry redfraggle, i know you are intelligent and definitely didn't mean to offend your intelligence by putting that comment in there. I put it there just in case because sometimes our vocabulary can mean different things to each other. it took me awhile to realize when people from other countries speak of a nursery they were referring to a daycare. Since we call a nursery the room where all the babies sleep in here in the hospital after they are born or the babies bedroom after they are born. I didn't know if people from other countries would understand or not about seniors in high school or not because honestly I haven't traveled much outside the US.

Lol. Don't worry, I'm not offended, and it has nothing to do with intelligence. I was just letting you know for future that most of us Brits and Aussies have a pretty good understanding of the American high school system. Most of us grew up watching shows like Saved By the Bell and Dawsons Creek!

Plus we are on a diary site full of Americans so most of us will have heard the terms senior/junior being used here!

gotcha! :) It is nice that you are exposed to American culture like that. I dont think Americans are exposed to much outside of the whole melting pot culture we have. We never really see alot of Brit shows, haha and you can forget ever finding an Aussie show on tv here.

Yet there is a whole TV channel in America which shows nothing but British shows (BBC America).

Really? Show's how much I know. I will have to see if I get it.

I watch Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America.

I can't stand the American version.

No one watches BBC America... no one *I* know, anyway. Boring shows, if you ask me, but that's just my opinion. I'm guessing they just don't show the BEST British TV shows on BBC America.

I actually don't watch much British TV myself and I live here! I do love Spooks though, which is on BBC America (called MI5 over there though). It's about spies and is a bit like 24. It's not a show I could ever imagine being decribed as boring. Oh and Doctor Who is brilliant, and it's shown on BBC America (and I've spoken to a few Americans who watch it).

I think a lot of it is comedy though, and I get the impression Americans just don't really get our sense of humour. ;) And British dramas tend to me more raw (e.g. Skins, also brilliant, and also on BBC America) than the glossy American shows, so they're mostly quite a different style. Still, I wouldn't say that means they're boring.

Which is why I said it was just my opinion.

Just as it is my opinion that British TV (particularly comedy) is just far too intelligent for many Americans. ;)

I've seen a LOT more revealing than that at the proms for my old high school! How ridiculous. As long as things aren't REALLY hanging out, then I don't see why it matters. Her backside is covered, the majority of her boobs are covered (come on, she's big breasted..not a lot to cover that fully). As far as I'm concerned, regular school day dress codes shouldn't cover prom as well. Like I said, unless something is HANGING OUT, I don't see the big deal. My senior prom dress was just as low cut as hers, it was long, but there was a slit going far up the leg, and the back was out down to right above my tail bone and I was one of the ones with the MOST material on! Ridiculous.

Pfft that dress is FINE. I had classmates who were dressed much worse than that at my year 12 formal and they didn't get into any sort of trouble (and rightly so... it should be the one night of the year you can celebrate and dress however you want - within legal reason, of course xD).

And is paddling... like... getting hit? With an implement of some sort? I've never come across the term before. xD That is definitely weird at a high-school level.

Paddling is like a spanking but with a huge wooden paddle instead of a hand. It is a lil ridiculious if you ask me.