Police investigate principal seen on video paddling 6-year-old student

CLEWISTON, FL (WINK) — A Florida principal is in hot water after a video surfaced of her using a paddle on a 6-year-old student in front of her mother.

Police are investigating Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter and the school’s clerk, Cecilia Self, for a paddling incident that happened on April 13.

In Florida, some school districts allow corporal punishment, but Hendry County, where the incident occurred, is not one of them.

The incident stemmed after the mother of the 6-year-old received a call from the school saying her daughter had damaged a computer and the fee would be $50, according to WINK. When the mother arrived at the school, paddling was mentioned but she was told a deputy would be present. However, the mother said that due to a language barrier, she said she didn’t understand the process.

According to WINK, there was no deputy inside the principal’s office and the mother thought her only option was to record the incident on her phone which she hid in her purse.

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