A distressing video has emerged showing an elementary school principal and a clerk in southwest Florida paddling a 6-year-old student for allegedly scratching a computer screen. The incident was captured by the child’s mother, who went to the school to pay a fine for the damage her daughter was accused of causing. The mother claimed she recorded the event because she felt no one would believe her story.

The school district’s handbook prohibits corporal punishment, although Florida law doesn’t expressly forbid it. The child’s mother described the paddling as brutal and terrifying, leading to physical and potential psychological harm.

The family’s attorney expressed concern about the severity of the punishment, referring to it as “aggravated battery.” The mother has taken her daughter to a doctor to document the injuries. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for justice, with the hope that the school district will address the situation appropriately.