Just because you haven’t heard much about it doesn’t mean it
has disappeared. I am talking about corporal punishment in public schools.
According to recent reports, nineteen states, mostly in the south, still have
corporal punishment on the books.
The proponents of the policy believe that it “ helps modify
disruptive behavior.”
The other states have either given way to more pragmatic views,
or have grown tired of fighting lawsuits. The American Medical Association, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association have
all condemned the practice, labeling it” degrading, humiliating, and damaging.
In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published
a paper,”A Violent Education,” that investigates the practice.
Other research has indicated that minority children seem to receive
a disproportionate amount of the corporal punishments. It should be noted that
in some locales, parent permission is required and there are defined limitations
on the type and severity of the punishment. But that is not the case
everywhere.
A study completed in 2014 by the Children’s Defense Fund concluded
that on average, over 800 students a day receive corporal punishment. There have been no conclusive studies that show that such actions
achieve positive, behavior modifying results.
C.2016 J. Margolis
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