We had a report up here in Oregon where a group of middle school boys were arrested for spanking girls as a way of greeting them. What do you think? Should the boys receive the maximum sentence?

McMinnville Boys Face Sex Abuse Charges

POSTED: 6:25 am PST February 26, 2007
UPDATED: 3:45 pm PST February 26, 2007

Two McMinnville middle school boys are in Yamhill County Juvenile Detention facing sex abuse charges after school officials said they inappropriately touched classmates.

The 12- and 13-year-old boys’ parents said students were part of a group of boys and girls at Patton Middle School who would spank each other’s backsides as part of a handshake or dance.

“We have this handshake we do and some of the people at Patton took it too seriously and they thought that it was meant in a sexual way. It’s not. We’re all friends,” said Grace, a student at the school.

Parents said the kids view the spanking behavior as a game, but the school considered the activity inappropriate dancing.

The McMinnville School District released a statement Monday that said school administrators and police “uncovered more serious activity” than spanking.

The parents said the school never contacted them about the incident. The two boys were arrested last Thursday on five counts of first-degree sex abuse.

“They wanted to make an example of these kids. They wanted to scare everybody. So, they thought taking them to juvey would scare these boys. It sure scared them, but they didn’t realize what charges these boys were going to be charged with,” said Tracie, a parent whose child attends the school.

McMinnville School Superintendent Maryalice Russell said the arrests were made because of alleged sex abuse and not because of the spanking.

During an arraignment in Yamhill County Juvenile Court, the parents said they learned the charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Just try going to work tomorrow and spank a few people on the arse and see what happens. You will be in a court room so fast. If kids grow up doing this and then try to integrate into the real world they will be in for a world of shock. Sure you see ball players do that to teammates but you just don't go around spanking bottoms, as much I would like to, society will not accept that and nore should it. What next? a nice greating by cupping my package, hmmm depends on who really

Before being punished, children must be taught.

I can't really imagine that these kids were completely ignorant to the fact that they were doing something "wrong" but I can't imagine sentencing 12 year old boys to 10 years in prison for something all the kids said was "just having fun." Take all the kids (both boys and girls) and sit them down and explain to them why they can't act that way.

If they still do it, then you can consider consequences.

Agree with Purplos!

although I don't like them excusing themselves with the plausable deniability... need to be honest with themselves.

I agree with Purplos too. Not to parent bash here because I know parents have enough stress in rasing their kids, but I think this teaching has to be taught at a young age by parents: "Johnny, you have to treat people with respect." "Johnny, you have to treat women with respect." With parents being so busy nowadays, many times they don't take the time to sit down with their children and talk about these things. Sometimes things like this used to be discussed around the dinner table, but now it's far and few between that families actually sit down to dinner together.

Also, I knew a lady who after I talked to her about her son's foul language, after 10 minutes he was outside playing again. His behavior didn't stop. He also used to go up to people and say things like "You're skinny" or "You're fat" or "You're ugly." I think respect should begin in childhood.

http://www.alchemylab.com/guideto.htm]http://www.alchemylab.com/guideto.htm

Then this should be the reason why parents shouldnt spank their children either yeah? Otherwise they are just teaching something which cannot be used later when the child is older and in the.. real world.

Anyway I cant believe the school didnt contact the parents first. It all seems pretty extreme.

Here's an important page to illustrate what's been going on with kids and the rush to label them "sexual offenders" in this insane country:

http://www.ethicaltreatment.org

I agree with Purplos as well.

10 years seems a bit extreme. *refrains from spanking friends*

Now that was a sad link. Thanks for posting it though.

That is really sad! There is obviously a need for some sort of restructuring of the laws to accomodate a society that encourages early sexual awareness through an oversaturated media. It's like placing candy bars in front of kids and telling them not to eat them, or even think about them! Then when they do engage in more adult behavior that they don't understand, we punish them? And what about the parents? Where are they...oh that's right, we live in a time when both parents have to bust their arses to even afford to live....no wonder it's all messed up!

I really don't have the words to express how stupid schools are getting all around the world...we're having children expelled for bringing in a pair of scissors to art class, we're having children arrested for playing...all kinds of crap...

This isn't the generation that invented the concept of 'playing doctor' thank you very much...children have been curious for a very long time I think you'll find. It's just this absolutely insane, PC stupidity that's turning it into a riot. If these kids are spanking each other, then frankly they're far, far too young to possibly be attaching anything sexual to it...they're doing it because they get a giggle out of it; so far as I can tell from the article, the only people offended by it were the school authorities.

And, of course, tax payer's money is going to be wasted investigating this garbage when the school should have, if it had any problem, just have phoned the children's parents. Society is going absolutely mad.

The best teachers are ones own peers. We all remember when we were kids at school and if a child stepped out of line the other children would reprimand them in their own way (and I don't mean duffing them up either lol). Take, for instance, when a kid told tales, what happened, the other kids would send them to coventry for a while, the culprit learned their lesson and was very wary about doing it again.

Kids learned to fight their own battles and even the battles of another if the other person was very timid and meek, eventually all learned.

Out of interest, I wonder if the girls who were being spanked were slapping the boys around the face afterwards, if not, the boys sure deserved it, I am all for turning the other cheek but it is getting ridiculous.

Authorities seem intent on letting us all be babysat "don't do this, don't do that!!" for crying out loud we won't be able to do anything soon, parents can't disclipline their own offspring for fear of reprisals from social workers and the like, some of which have only learned about children and their behaviour from books - theory is all very well but it isn't a patch on real experience.

Let kids fight their own battles, let them stand up for themselves and gain some self-respect, because that is what is going missing - respect. It shows this in the very fact they are smacking another person in greeting, I wonder whatever happened to a good old handshake or hug, some social skills definitely need to be recapped!!!

It's definitely inappropriate at that age and in that setting, and the parents need to educate the children about respecting boundaries, respecting each other, being too familiar with others, and what the little girls are accepting and condoning by allowing this to happen. And what the boys are communicating by doing it. Too young for this.
This should be in the bedroom of married grown ups not being carried out by children who have no idea what attitudes and roles are being symbolized by this. Much less in public. These children are being very tacky and low-class and should be corrected in their paths by the adults who guide them.

God better help the little boy that ever touches my daughter in this manner.

Granted they shouldn't have slapped the girls' bottoms ... but that happened all the time when I was in junior high and high school! I'm now 46.
Nobody reported things like this then. Not the teachers or the children. Most of us thought it a compliment!
Now, even if it did offend someone ... nobody on Gods green earth will ever convince me that a 12 and 13 year boy deserves a FELONY and 10 years in jail!!! FOR SPANKING A GIRLS BOTTOM!!! They really were going to give them felonies!!!
Even with all the public outcry on how the boys were being treated it took forever for the DA to back down. Counseling I can understand, but a conviction is so, so wrong and pathetic in my eyes. Just soooooooooooo wrong!!!
Luckily, everything turned out fairly well.
I'm someone from Portland that was very concerned about this when it was going on ...
Hugs,
Smoochie