A troubling video has surfaced showing an elementary school principal and a clerk in southwest Florida using a paddle on a 6-year-old student, allegedly for scratching a computer screen.

The child’s mother, who had gone to the school to pay for the damage her daughter was accused of, filmed the incident herself. She explained that she recorded the scene to ensure she had evidence, fearing her account might not be believed otherwise.

While the school district’s policy explicitly bans corporal punishment, Florida law doesn’t strictly prohibit it. The mother described the paddling as harsh and frightening, noting that it resulted in both physical and potential psychological trauma.

The family’s attorney has expressed alarm over the incident, calling it a case of «aggravated battery.» The mother has since taken her daughter to a doctor to document the injuries sustained.

This incident has triggered public outrage and demands for justice, with many urging the school district to take appropriate action in response.