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A Georgia elementary school principal insisted on paddling a five-year-old student — and told the boy’s mother that if she tried to intervene he would be suspended and she would go to jail, the boy's mom said.
Shana Marie Perez, of Covington, Ga., posted two videos on Facebook showing the Wednesday dispute at Jasper Primary School, southeast of Atlanta, along with her son’s efforts to resist.
"I couldn’t do anything to stop them," Perez wrote in a post accompanying one of the videos.
By Thursday at 6 p.m., the footage had been viewed nearly a million times. Perez, who confirmed the videos to NBC News, said she did not post a third clip showing the paddling.
In a statement, the Jasper County School District said it "is aware of the video released by Ms. Perez. Unfortunately, the district is barred by state and federal law from commenting about the specifics of this incident. The district respects every student's right to privacy."