Do teachers have the right to discipline students?

huaqiao (Expat in China)

Discipline is necessary to educate a child. Although there are some errant teachers who go too far in disciplining a child, that does not mean there should be no discipline. There must be clear rules on what is offensive and what the punishment will be. This can be worked out by meeting with the parents. The rules and disciplinary action to be taken for offenses should be clearly stated on paper for all parents to read and sign when they enroll their children for admission. If possible, arrange for the punishment to be carried out together with the parents present. The idea behind all these is to ensure that everything is carried out aboveboard and parents will not be anxious but also approve.