Dear friends,Wendell Teltow, Executive Director of PCAT, received our December 17 message regarding their upcoming conference and has responded to criticism made therein by PTAVE board member Tom Johnson. In the interest of fairness, and with Mr. Teltow’s authorization, we now share with you below the email exchange that followed (including links to the referenced attachments).
2010/12/17 Wendell Teltow:THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCE. EXHIBIT SPACE IS LIMITED AND IS FILLING UP QUICKLY.
I DO FEEL I MUST CLARIFY SOME OF YOUR STATEMENTS THAT DISPARAGE PREVENT CHILD ABUSE TEXAS.
PCAT HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN ATTEMPTING TO ELIMINATE SPANKING IN SCHOOLS OVER MANY LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS AND WITH PROFESSIONAL GROUPS. IT HAS BEEN AND REMAINS AN AREA OF WHICH WE ARE CONCERNED. HOWEVER, EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND FOR THE 2011 SESSION WE ARE CONCENTRATING ON OTHER CHALLENGES PRIMARILY AROUND BUDGETS. IF THOUGH A BILL IS INTRODUCED WE WILL SUPPORT AND WORK FOR PASSAGE.
WE HAVE MANY PIECES OF LITERATURE DEALING WITH THE SUBJECT AND INCLUDE IN EACH OF OUR TRAININGS TO SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS. SO FOR YOU TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT US NOT ADDRESSING IS TOTALLY FALSE AND OFFENSIVE. I HAVE BEEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR 25 YEARS AND COULD NOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE SPOKEN ON THE SUBJECT TO MEDIA, PROFESSIONALS, TEACHER TRAININGS, ETC.
Wendell Teltow
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse Texas
13740 Research Blvd. #R-4
Austin, TX 78750
www.PreventChildAbuseTexas.org
2010/12/17 Tom Johnson:Mr. Teltow,
Thanks for your feedback. I definitely don’t want to be unfair to your organization. If you can provide some titles of PCAT literature that deals with school paddling, initiatives PCAT has taken to eliminate or reduce it, and/or citations of your statements to the media about it, I will have them forwarded to our mailing list.
Of course, the fact that you are on PTAVE’s mailing list would suggest you are indeed quite aware of and concerned about school child abuse. There’s also an implicit acknowledgment of school child abuse in the fact that PCAT weighs in at all on the question of school corporal punishment. I would submit, nonetheless, that this awareness and concern could be more amply reflected in your website. For example, why not have a fact sheet about child abuse in school as well as the one you have about child abuse in day care? Along with the mandated reporting laws, why not provide some education as to how the law treats school child abuse differently than abuse committed at home by parents?
As for the Legislative Agenda (under the heading of “Advocacy”), a few questions: Do I understand correctly that the inclusion of an item in this list is contingent on there being a current bill related to that item? Or perhaps on it being an item of particular focus by PCAT in the current session? Has the objective of banning school corporal punishment been listed here in the past? And does PCAT proactively solicit the introduction of legislation or only monitor legislative activity for the appearance of bills that are consonant with its mission?
2010/12/22 Wendell Teltow:
“If you can provide some titles of PCAT literature that deals with school paddling” – ATTACHED ARE SOME SAMPLESa) Corporal Punishment and Trauma, By Rob Waters, June 19, 2001
b) Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools – School Year 1996/1997
c) FACT SHEET – Corporal Punishment“… initiatives PCAT has taken to eliminate or reduce it” – DURING PAST SESSIONS WE HAVE WORKED TO HAVE BILL DRAFTED AND PRESENTED – THE FURTHEST WE EVER GOT WAS TO PASS SENATE AND FAIL IN HOUSE – WE HAVE HAD ADAH MAURER AND BOB FATHMAN AS KEYNOTES AT PAST CONFERENCES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE “I would submit, nonetheless, that this awareness and concern could be more amply reflected in your website. For example, why not have a fact sheet about child abuse in school as well as the one you have about child abuse in day care? Along with the mandated reporting laws, why not provide some education as to how the law treats school child abuse differently than abuse committed at home by parents?” THIS IS SOMETHING I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU ON AND LOOK INTO ADDING “Do I understand correctly that the inclusion of an item in this list is contingent on there being a current bill related to that item?” NO – PCAT SELECTS AROUND 5 HIGH PRIORITY ISSUES EVERY SESSION AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF OTHERS THAT WE ENDORSE “Or perhaps on it being an item of particular focus by PCAT in the current session?” YES “Has the objective of banning school corporal punishment been listed here in the past?” YES “And does PCAT proactively solicit the introduction of legislation or only monitor legislative activity for the appearance of bills that are consonant with its mission?” BOTHWendell Teltow
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse Texas
13740 Research Blvd. #R-4
Austin, TX 78750
www.PreventChildAbuseTexas.org
