American SPCC | June 29, 2015
Corporal punishment in schools is a big debate in America. 19 States still legally allow children to be hit and paddled as a form of discipline. Listed below are three great articles on corporal punishment in schools, and a legislative bill:
1. Corporal punishment still in force in Macon County Schools
Thursday, 05 February 2015
Elementary students in Macon County are subject to corporal punishment, or paddling, as a form of discipline.
In 2011, when Macon County Schools added a provision to the county’s board policy permitting corporal punishment as a form of discipline, there were 60 districts in the state with a corporal punishment policy. Over the years, that number has dwindled and Macon County stands as one of only three school districts with such a policy. Swain County Schools garnered attention last month when their board of education voted to do away with their corporal punishment policy. READ MORE
2. Appeals Court Rejects Latest Challenge to Corporal Punishment
A federal appeals court has rejected the lawsuit of a Mississippi 8th grader whose misbehavior led to a paddling by a school administrator. The student then fainted and fell face-first to the floor, breaking his jaw and five of his teeth, court papers say.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, was unmoved by the student’s lawsuit. It ruled unanimously that it was bound by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1977 decision in Ingraham v. Wright, which upheld the constitutionality of corporal punishment in schools. READ MORE
3. These Are The 19 States That Still Let Public Schools Hit Kids
Business Insider | Corey Adwar | Mar. 28, 2014, 11:55 AM
Business Insider |
In 19 states, it’s legal for teachers or principals to punish public school students by hitting them repeatedly instead of just giving them detention.
This map from the Center for Effective Discipline shows the 19 states, in red, which have laws allowing corporal punishment in schools. Shown in white are the 31 states that have banned corporal punishment, most recently in Ohio in 2009 and New Mexico in 2011. READ MORE
4. H.R. 2268 Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2015
A BILL
To end the use of corporal punishment in schools, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2015”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Behavioral interventions for children must promote the right of all children to be treated with dignity. All children have the right to be free from any corporal punishment.
(2) Safe, effective, evidence-based strategies are available to support children who display challenging behaviors in school settings.
(3) School personnel have the right to work in a safe environment and should be provided training and support to prevent injury and trauma to themselves and others.
(4) According to the Department of Education’s Technical Assistance Center on School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, outcomes associated with school-wide positive behavior support are: decreased office discipline referrals, increased instructional time, decreased administrator time spent on discipline issues, efficient and effective use of scarce resources, and increased perception of school safety and sustainability through a team approach.
(5) Every 30 seconds during the school year, a public school student is corporally punished.
(6) Nineteen States continue to permit corporal punishment in public schools.
(7) According to Department of Education statistics, each year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of school children are subjected to corporal punishment in public schools. School corporal punishment is usually executed…READ MORE
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