By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 11:29 EST, 2 September 2013 | UPDATED: 05:18 EST, 3 September 2013 A former principal is being sued after allegedly beating a five-year-old elementary school pupil with a paddle, leaving him badly bruised and terrified to return to classes, it emerged today. Elizabeth Boyd, ex-principal of the Sunbright Elementary School in Tennessee, is being sued for $1.7million by parents Sandra Hall and Jason Williams over the treatment of their son Lukas last year. The couple said that although they had given verbal permission for their son to be gently swatted if he misbehaved, they claim Dr Boyd hit the boy eight times with a paddle because he had thrown some crayons.
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Elizabeth Boyd, ex-principal of Sunbright School in Tennessee, is being sued for $1.7million by parents Sandra Hall and Jason Williams
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Corporal punishment is legal in Tennessee schools but each district sets its own guidelines
Compensation claim: Lukas' mother @placeholder is suing her son's former principal and the school district for $1.7million