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6 Things You Didn't Know About Corporal Punishment in Today's Schools
posted by: Alana | August 26, 2016, 09:09 PM   

 

This month EdWeek published an article that brought light to the lesser known facts about corporal punishment. Check out these six key highlights that teachers should be aware of:

 

How common is the use of corporal punishment in the U.S.?

 

More than 109,000 students were paddled, swatted, or otherwise physically punished in U.S. classrooms in 2013-14, according to the most recent wave of federal civil rights data.

 

What do federal courts say about the use of corporal punishment?

 

Case law was set nearly 40 years ago following the 1977 case, Ingraham v. Wright. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Florida students who argued that corporal punishment violated their rights to due process under the 14th Amendment as well as their 8th Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

 

How many states exercise corporal punishment?

 

Federal civil rights data show students experienced corporal punishment in 21 states and more than 4,000 schools nationwide during the 2013-14 school year.

 

What do state courts say about corporal punishment?

 

There's no consensus among states on how to regulate physical discipline in schools. Texas allows the discipline unless parents ask in writing that their child not be paddled, while Utah bans physical discipline without a parent's written permission. Alabama allows the practice, and Maryland bans it, but neither state details what corporal punishment would include.

 

Why do schools resort to corporal punishment as a form of discipline?

 

Corporal punishment is often seen by proponents as a good alternative to suspending students.

 

What demographic of students are most likely to experience corporal punishment?

 

Both white and black students are more likely than students of other races to attend a school that allows corporal punishment, but black students are disproportionately likely to experience physical discipline. Rural students are more likely to attend schools where corporal punishment occurs. They account for 51 percent of enrollment in schools where at least one student was physically punished in 2013-14.

 

 

What do you think about the use of corporal punishment in schools?

Tell us in the comments below!

 

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