A sophomore at Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas, Noah Lopez says he was struck with a wooden paddle three times by his assistant football coach during a practice session.
The discipline was reportedly handed down after Lopez missed school following a car crash involving his mother and showed up to practice wearing football pants of the wrong color, which the coach said marked his third strike.
Lopez’s father told local media that the school never warned them about the accumulating penalties, leaving the family unprepared for the paddling.
District’s Stance on Physical Discipline
The Port Arthur Independent School District has long listed corporal punishment as an allowable form of discipline, but parents must sign a written waiver to opt out, a requirement that the family says was not communicated beforehand.
Texas law permits corporal punishment in schools, but the decision on its use is determined by the school district’s board, which has maintained the practice despite growing national scrutiny.
District officials have defended the use of paddling as within board policy, while confirming they are reviewing the circumstances that led to the incident.
The incident has reignited a debate over the appropriateness of physical discipline in modern educational settings, especially when families are not adequately informed of escalating consequences.