Corporal Punishment: Can We Really Abolish One Punishment Under The Protection Of State Law?

On his letter to all state governors and school chiefs, United States Secretary of Education John King appeals discontinue paddling as a form of corporal punishment in schools. According to KGOU, the secretary labels paddling as destructive, ineffective and racist.

According to the records of the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education, more than 110,000 students in the United States were subjected to corporal punishment in the year 2013 to 2014. A total of 22 states allows corporal punishment in schools. This translates to paddling about 12 percent of the total student populace.

Even though black students only comprise about 16 percent of the U.S. public school students' population, they make up about a third of the 110,000 list. Majority of the students are male and the list included names of kids with disability. All of them subjected to corporal punishment.

An endless list of research reveals that physical punishment for students intends to solicit the opposite of its intended effect. Secretary King sites a study from the University of Michigan that showed that children who were spanked and padded exhibit more serious cases of defiance and aggression. Majority of them also registered poor academic performance.

An American Academy of Pediatrics research further showed that children who are subjected to physical punishments are more prone to developing mental health issues. In addition, corporal punishment also impede both verbal and cognitive functioning.

On his letter, secretary King says that public schools play an essential role in the protection of human rights. Mentors are tasked to safeguard and support students. Corporal punishment has no place in schools.

Even though many schools have already abandoned the practice, corporal punishment is protected by state law. Despite Secretary Kings' plea, the Board of Education does not have the authority to disallow corporal punishment and the decision is left to local school boards.

Do you believe that corporal punishment bring harm and we should push for its legal abolishment? Share your thoughts below.