A new Florida law requires schools across the state to seek the consent of parents before they can administer corporal punishment, such as spanking, on students.
The National Education Association revealed that 17 states in the country, including Florida, permit the use of corporal punishment. During the 2023-2024 school year, 516 instances of corporal punishment were recorded, based on data from the Florida Department of Education.
Florida Law on Corporal Punishment for Students
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law that requires parents to consent to corporal punishment at the start of the school year or before the sentence itself is administered. Furthermore, school boards are mandated to review their corporal punishment policies every three years.
The situation comes as there was a notable incident that happened in Southwest Florida, highlighting the need for the new law. This was the case of a six-year-old who was paddled at a Hendry County elementary school in 2021.
There are currently 19 public school districts in Florida that allow the use of corporal punishment. To note, Glades and DeSoto County Schools permit the sentence while Lee, Hendry, Charlotte, and Collier counties do not, according to WINK News.
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The new law, which took effect on July 1, comes as some school districts, including Brevard Public Schools, do not enforce corporal punishment. Brevard Public Schools spokesperson Janet Murnaghan said the institution "strictly prohibits" this type of punishment.
She added that district officials currently have no plans to revise this particular policy regarding corporal punishment. The new law also comes after a four-year push by University of Florida students who raised concerns about a case where a student in Levy County was hit without their parents' consent.
Requiring Parental Consent
The law, House Bill 1255, requires schools that make use of corporal punishment to include a requirement for parents to provide consent for it to be administered to their children. It adds that the policy should require consent for the entire school year or before each instance of corporal punishment, Florida Today reported.
There were also concerns that many schools were administering corporal punishment disproportionately to disabled students. The Policy Forum compiled data that showed students with disabilities accounted for roughly 40% of corporal punishment inflictions in 2023-2024, despite only comprising around 20% of school enrollment.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights wrote that students with disabilities may face heightened discipline due to not receiving the "support, services, interventions, strategies, and modifications" to school or district policies that they need, as per Florida Phoenix.
