Port Arthur ISD is reviewing a reported corporal punishment incident involving a Memorial High School football player after a student alleged he was paddled by a coach before practice.
Fifteen-year-old Noah Lopez said he was struck three times with a paddle inside a school office Saturday. Lopez said the discipline followed issues involving a missed day of school and football practice, practice clothing and communication with his position coach.
The district has not announced any disciplinary action against the coach. Instead, Superintendent Dr. Mark Porterie said PAISD is reviewing the incident to determine whether district policies and procedures were followed.
Corporal punishment itself is permitted under Texas law when a school district’s board adopts a policy authorizing its use. Port Arthur ISD currently allows corporal punishment as a discipline management technique.
Under the district’s policy, parental permission is not required before corporal punishment is administered. However, Texas law allows parents or guardians to prohibit its use by submitting a signed written statement to the campus principal. That opt-out must be submitted each school year.
Lopez’s father, Henry Lopez, said the family was unaware of the policy and would have opted out had they known about it.
Because corporal punishment is authorized in PAISD, the district’s review is focused on whether the specific incident was handled in accordance with its rules and procedures rather than simply whether paddling occurred.
The controversy has also prompted a broader review. PAISD said its Board of Trustees will revisit the district’s corporal punishment policy and consider whether additional procedures or revisions are appropriate.
For now, the district says its review of the reported Memorial High School incident remains underway.
