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Private Schools
2 Reasons for Banning Corporal Punishment
An Inappropriate Disciplinary Measure
By Robert Kennedy, About.com Guide

What is corporal punishment? The National Association of School Nurses1 defines it as “the
intentional infliction of physical pain as a method of changing behavior. It may include
methods such as hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, use of various
objects (paddles, belts, sticks, or others), or painful body postures."

Fact: Corporal punishment is still legal in twenty states.

While corporal punishment such as paddling, spanking and hitting students disappeared
from private schools by the 1960s, it is still permitted2 in public schools in 20 states. Why is No Spank Zone
this so? There is no easy answer to that question. If you look at the map on The Center for
Effective Discipline's site, you will see that corporal punishment is still legal in southern and western states east of the
Rockies. The northern and west coast states made corporal punishment in their schools illegal in the 1970s and 1980s.

Fact: The United States is the only nation in the western world which still permits corporal punishment in
its schools.

Canada banned corporal punishment in 2004. No European country permits corporal punishment. So far, the United
States Congress has not acted on requests from organizations such as Human Rights Watch3 and the American Civil
Liberties Union4 to enact federal legislation banning corporal punishment. Since education is widely viewed as a local
and state matter, any further banning of corporal punishment will probably have to occur at that level. If, on the other
hand, the federal government were to withhold funding from states where corporal punishment is legal, the local
authorities might be more inclined to pass the appropriate laws.

The Rationale for Corporal Punishment

Corporal punishment in one form or another has been around schools for centuries. It certainly is not a new issue. In
the Roman Family5 "children learned by imitation and corporal punishment". Religion also plays a role6 in the history
of disciplining children by spanking or hitting them. Many people interpret Proverbs 13:24 literally when it states:
"Spare the rod and spoil the child."7

20 States Still Permit Beating

The following twenty states still have laws on their books permitting corporal punishment in schools:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana

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Mississippi
Missouri
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Wyoming

What is ironic about this situation is that no accredited teachers' college in the U.S. advocates the use of corporal
punishment. If they don't teach the use of corporal punishment in the classroom, why is the use of it still legal?

Why Should Corporal Punishment Be Banned?

Corporal punishment should be banned for the following reasons:

1. It has no place in the education of children.

2. It perpetuates the cycle of abuse.

It Has No Place in the Education of Children.

Corporal punishment is not allowed in the military, mental institutions and prisons. But it is still legal to hit students in
20 states. The research8 shows that children who are beaten and abused are more likely to be prone to depression,
low self-esteem and suicide. The simple fact that corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure is not part of any
education curriculum indicates that educators at every level know that corporal punishment has no place in the
classroom. Discipline can and should be taught be example.

Most leading professional associations oppose corporal punishment in all its forms. The reason why is that they feel it
causes irreparable emotional damage to young people.

It Perpetuates the Cycle of Abuse.

I learned years ago about corporal punishment from a man who was an expert in the field. I co-founded a high school
in Nassau, Bahamas in 1994. As deputy director of the school, one of the first issues I had to deal with was discipline.
Dr. Elliston Rahming, the owner and director of the school, was a criminologist. He had very firm views about the
subject: there would be no corporal punishment of any kind. We had to find better, more effective ways than beating
to enforce discipline. In the Bahamas, beating children was, and still, is an accepted disciplinary method in the home
and in the school. Our solution was to develop a Code of Discipline which basically penalized unacceptable behavior
according to the severity of the infraction. Everything from dress code to drugs, weapons and sexual infractions was
covered. Remediation and resolution, retraining and reprogramming were the goals. Yes, we did get to the point on
two or three occasions where we actually did suspend and expel students. The biggest problem we faced was breaking
the cycle of abuse9 .

What Happens in America's Private Schools?

Most private schools frown on the use of corporal punishment. Most schools have found more enlightened and effective
methods for dealing with disciplinary issues. Honor codes and clearly spelled out results for infractions combined with
contract law give private schools an edge in dealing with discipline. Basically, if you do something seriously wrong, you
will get suspended or expelled from school. You will have no recourse because you have no legal rights10 other than
those in the contract which you signed with the school.

Things Parents Can Do

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What can you do? Write the state education departments of the states which still permit corporal punishment. Let them
know that you oppose its use. Write your legislators and urge them to make corporal punishment illegal. Blog about
local incidents of corporal punishment whenever appropriate.

Organizations Opposed to Corporal Punishment in Schools

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry11 "opposes the use of corporal punishment in schools and
takes issue with laws in some states legalizing such corporal punishment and protecting adults who use it from
prosecution for child abuse."

The American School Counselor Association12 "ASCA seeks the elimination of corporal punishment in schools."

The American Academy of Pediatrics13 "recommends that corporal punishment in schools be abolished in all states by
law and that alternative forms of student behavior management be used."

The National Association of Secondary School Principals14 "believes that the practice of corporal punishment in schools
should be abolished and that principals should utilize alternative forms of discipline."

The National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives - (NCSCPA)15 tracks information about this
subject and puts out updates. It also offers an interesting reading list and other materials.

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Links in this article:

1. http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=214
2. http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=statesbanning
3. http://www.hrw.org/en/node/62078/section/13
4. http://www.aclu.org/blog/human-rights/expanding-opportunity-and-hope-children-america
5. http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa081997b.htm
6. http://nospank.net/floggers.htm
7. http://www.idiomsite.com/sparetherod,.htm
8. http://www.nospank.net/pt2009.htm
9. http://www.nospank.net/adams.htm
10. http://privateschool.about.com/cs/students/a/studentsrights.htm
11. http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/policy_statements/corporal_punishment_in_schools
12. http://asca2.timberlakepublishing.com//files/PS_Corporal%20Punishment.pdf
13. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;106/2/343
14. http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?TrackID=&SID=1&DID=47093&CID=33&VID=2&RTID=0&CIDQS=&Taxonomy=False&
specialSearch=False
15. http://www.ruaneproductions.com/NCSCPA/pubList.html

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