Corporal punishment is legal in twenty-three states. Why is physical abuse still permitted in our schools? The United States is the only state in the western world which still tolerates corporal punishment in its schools.
Background
Corporal punishment in one form or another has been around schools for centuries. It certainly is not a new issue. See The Roman Family for a more detailed discussion of this.
When I was a school boy growing up in Montreal back in the 1950's, the preferred method of corporal punishment was strapping. As I recall, the only person who administered the strap was the principal or the vice-principal of the school. It was pretty much a punishment of last resort. In other words, you had to have done something pretty dreadful to get a strapping. Persistent rudeness and insolence come to mind as reasons for a strapping. Other forms of abuse administered by teachers in those days included cuffing a student across the back of the head, rapping his knuckles with a metre stick or ruler and so on. All of that made quite an impression on me as I remember it quite vividly some forty-five years later. I also remember starting to bite my nails while in grade school. It took me years to stop that nasty habit.
23 States Still Permit Beating
There are actually twenty-three states which still have laws on their books permitting corporal punishment:
- Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Wyoming
Corporal punishment should be outlawed in these states because:
Corporal punishment has no place in education
I co-founded a high school in Nassau, Bahamas in 1994. As Vie-principal, one of the first issues I had to deal with was discipline. Dr. Elliston Rahming, the owner 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 abuse. In my opinion you and I must break this cycle.
Professional associations oppose beating
Most leading professional associations have come out in opposition to corporal punishment. The reason why is that they feel it causes irreparable emotional damage to young people.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 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 Counsellor Association "seeks the elimination of corporal punishment in schools and other places of caregiving."
The American Academy of Pediatrics "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 Council of Teachers of English has been on record since 1985 as being opposed to corporal punishment.
The National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives - (NCSCPA) tracks information about this subject and puts out updates. It also offers an interesting reading list and other materials.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals "believes that the practice of corporal punishment in schools should be abolished and that principals should utilize alternative forms of discipline."
What happens in America's private schools?
Most of them frown on the use of corporal punishment. There are simply more enlightened 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 rights other than those in the contract which you signed with the school.
Do Your Part!
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.
