UVALDE -- An elementary school student in Uvalde was sent home with a black and blue backside, his mother says.
A firm believer in punishment, Missy Leija said she had given Flores Elementary School permission to use corporal punishment on her son. She regrets that decision.
Leija's son was punished on Wednesday for excessive talking in class. Leija said the principal went way too far.
"He was hurting," she said. "I couldn't even touch his leg."
Leija sent a photo of her son's rear to KENS 5. His bottom down to his leg were red and bruised. Leija said he was paddled twice, even after his shorts accidentally slipped down from trying to get the principal to stop.
"He said when he was turning over, he used both hands to whip him," Leija said. "He was begging them, telling them to please stop, and they said, 'Nope, one more time. Take it like a man.'"
Leija said the principal took corporal punishment too far.
"If I could take that back for what they did, I would, because I trusted them," she said.
Even after confronting school administrators, Leija said they didn't even care.
"It hurt really bad. Not even I would hit him that way," Leija said, choking back tears.
A spokeperson with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District told KENS 5 they do not comment on any ongoing investigations.
