New Bill Seeks to Ban Corporal Punishment in Schools

by Alison Leithner · 2010-06-30 09:32:00 UTC
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On Tuesday, a bill was introduced to Congress that would ban corporal punishment in schools. Shockingly, in twenty states, corporal punishment is still a legal and accepted form of discipline by teachers and school administrators.

Just to be clear about what we mean by corporal punishment, the ACLU has documented cases of children being hit with a hard object (belt, ruler, paddle, toy hammer), slapped, pinched, grabbed, thrown, slammed into walls, dragged across the floor and restrained to the point of injury. These actions are not allowed in juvenile correction facilities, but they are allowed at many public schools.  Go figure.

Wondering what causes a school official to resort to this kind of "discipline"? Reasons include such infractions as dress code violations, talking in class or being late to school. However, studies show that corporal punishment is generally not used on every student. It is most commonly used on K-8 boys in rural areas who typically come from disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition, according to the ACLU, students with disabilities were hit the most frequently, making up 18.8% of "disciplined" children despite being only 13.7% of the nation's student body.

The American Association of Pediatrics has been calling for the abolition of corporal punishment in schools since 2000.  Backed by evidence that physical punishment in schools can affect students' psyches and lead to "disruptive and violent behavior," this seems like a suggestion worth heeding. Apparently not all school officials look to the experts on child welfare to make this decision though. Currently, the Memphis school district is trying to reinstate corporal punishment, claiming it is the only way to tamper the "war zone" that many schools have become.

Yes, there are discipline problems in schools.  Yes, they need to be addressed.  But are the problems in Memphis so much worse than in New York or Washington, D.C (both places where corporal punishment is illegal) that they have to resort to physical violence? I sincerely doubt it. Alternatively, is student behavior wildly better in Mississippi and Texas (legal) than Vermont or Montana (illegal)? Again, I doubt it.

Hopefully the new bill will pass through Congress quickly and corporal punishment will be federally banned from schools in the United States. Only then will our children be treated as humanly in school as they would in juvie.

Photo Credit: D Sharon Pruitt

Alison Leithner got her M.A. at American University and teaches English as a Second Language to adults and university students.
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