In a shocking incident, a mother felt she had no choice but to record a distressing scene at a school. Alone with her daughter, a principal, and a clerk, she placed her phone in her purse and hit record. The footage reveals a harrowing experience: a six-year-old girl being instructed to “stick your butt out” before being struck with a heavy wooden paddle. The punishment, administered by Principal Karen Adams, resulted in visible bruises, as confirmed by the child’s doctor, according to reports from WINK. This brutal act was legal in Florida, where the incident occurred.
Why is this still permitted? The Brookings Institute notes that 23 states either explicitly allow corporal punishment or leave it up to local jurisdictions, affecting nearly 45% of children in the U.S. For instance, Oklahoma law states that physical discipline methods such as spanking or paddling are acceptable, while South Carolina allows school districts to implement corporal punishment as they see fit.
What constitutes “corporal punishment”? The U.S. Supreme Court upheld its legality in schools back in 1977, defining it as the use of physical force intended to cause pain for correctional purposes. This means that educational institutions can legally inflict pain on children.
It’s essential to reject the notion that this practice is acceptable or necessary. Administrators and educators are inflicting pain on defenseless children. The Texas Education Code clearly defines corporal punishment as the intentional infliction of physical pain, with a focus on methods like hitting and paddling.
Estimates indicate that as many as 166,000 students face corporal punishment annually, with the practice concentrated in Southern states. In Alabama, for instance, there are specific guidelines on the kind of paddle that may be used, emphasizing the disturbing reality of this practice. Moreover, many laws do not specify age limits, allowing preschoolers to be subjected to such punishment.
Disconcertingly, the application of corporal punishment is not uniform across demographics. Data from the Southern Poverty Law Center shows that Black boys are disproportionately punished compared to their white counterparts, while students with disabilities also face higher rates of corporal punishment. In many districts, children with disabilities are punished for behaviors related to their conditions, which is against federal law.
Research consistently shows that corporal punishment is ineffective. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, studies have not demonstrated any long-term benefits to physical punishment. In fact, it often leads to poorer academic performance, increased absenteeism, and heightened bullying. The frequent infliction of pain on Black boys and children with disabilities is alarming and unacceptable. The question remains: Why do we allow educators to strike our children? This practice should be abolished everywhere.
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Summary
Corporal punishment remains legal in some U.S. school districts, allowing educators to inflict pain on children, particularly affecting Black students and those with disabilities. Despite evidence showing its ineffectiveness and the potential harm it causes, this practice continues in many states. Society must reconsider the legality and morality of such punishments in educational settings.