Three students at an Arkansas high school were swatted with a paddle for participating in a national walkout against gun violence last week.
Students who left their Greenbrier High School classrooms in protest were reportedly given a choice of two punishments.
They could accept a suspension or receive a paddling, ArkansasMatters.com reported.
The Greenbrier Public Schools superintendent said students were disciplined for not alerting the school about the demonstration and leaving class.
Wylie Greer, 17, was among the three students who walked out of the school building.
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When he returned to the classroom he was presented with his options.
He chose two swats with a wooden paddle instead of two days of suspension.
"In my mind, the in-school suspension was essentially conceding to sitting down and shutting up, which is what the admin and school wanted to happen, to keep it quiet almost," Greer told CNN. "I felt if I stood up and took the punishment in an honorable way, that it was better than doing what they wanted me to do, which is shut up and go on with our lives."
"I don't think that they expected me to take the corporal punishment," he added.
Greenbrier Schools Superintendent Scott Spainhour said students were disciplined for walking out of class, which is against school policy.
Greer's mother tweeted about the incident.
"My kid and two other students walked out of their rural, very conservative, public school for 17 minutes today. They were given two punishment options. They chose corporal punishment. This generation is not playing around," Jerusalem Greer said Wednesday.
Students at an Ohio school were also disciplined for not leaving the classroom on the National Walkout Day.
Jacob Shoemaker, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School, said he didn't want to place himself on either side of the gun control debate.
He remained in class and did homework for about 20 minutes while his teachers and other students walked out in protest.
He was later suspended from school.
"Student refused to follow instructions after being warned," his suspension notice read.
Shoemaker was suspended for remaining in the classroom, rather than going to a part of the school designated for nonprotesters, the Washington Post reported.
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