Corporal Punishment Alive and Well

There were 365,000 incidents of corporal punishment in the United States in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Use of physical force is occurring despite growing opposition to corporal punishment. The use of corporal punishment is hard to understand since parents face criminal charges when they hit their children, police lose their jobs for beating suspects, and students are suspended or expelled for hitting others.

Opponents to corporal punishment believe that when educators hit in the name of justice the wrong message is given to students. It provides them with the justification to do the same when they believe they have been wronged. Students wonder why adult role models at school can hit and they can't.

In 2002, 23 states still permitted paddling, with Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama handing out this form of punishment most frequently. In fact, there are only two industrialized countries that still permit it to some degree: Canada and the United States.

Although the use of corporal punishment is declining in North American schools, this is not the case in other countries. For many children around the globe, violence is a regular part of their school day. In some countries, educators regularly use corporal punishment to maintain discipline, even punishing children for poor academic performance.

The Human Rights Watch Organization found that in Kenya, for example, regulations authorize the use of corporal punishment. Worse yet, there is no provision for the regulation of its use. Teachers in Kenya cane children for such offenses as: tardiness, talking in class, being unable to answer a question or failing to achieve a certain score on exams. These actions often result in injuries and in some cases even death.

The Human Rights Watch Organization's website also has information about other topics related to child welfare such as: child labor, violence and discrimination in schools, and juvenile justice.

More than 40 national organizations favor the abolition of corporal punishment. A leading opponent to corporal punishment is the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP believes that corporal punishment adversely affects a student's self-image and his school performance. They further believe that corporal punishment contributes to disruptive and violent student behavior. It is the AAP's position that physical force in school is justified in only these limited circumstances:

• to protect students and staff from physical injury
• to disarm a student
• prevent property damage

The American Academy of Pediatrics statement on corporal punishment in schools can be found at their website.

The National Association of School Psychologists point out that there are a disproportionate number of minority students and students with disabilities who are most subject to physical discipline. They also believe corporal punishment leads to a cycle of child abuse and pro-violence attitudes by youth.

The NASP strongly urges schools to use disciplinary consequences which are meaningful and have an instructional or reflective component. They believe "effective discipline is primarily a matter of instruction rather than punishment." You can see a list of suggested alternatives to corporal punishment at their website.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals has also taken a position against corporal punishment. They believe that principals should utilize alternative forms of discipline. They also urge principals to become involved in designing discipline policies that follow due process, that are consistently applied and that are educationally sound.

More and more parents are demanding an end to corporal punishment in states still permitting it. Many are the same parents who are concerned with television violence, violence on the streets and violence in schools. These parents believe there are better ways to change student behavior for the better and are talking to their school boards about instituting alternative methods of discipline. School Boards are listening not only to the parents but to school attorneys who advise them that corporal punishment lead to lawsuits and costly settlements.

The Advantage Press, Inc. offers meaningful alternatives to corporal punishment for students in grades 2-12, including special education students and students identified as "bullies." Their Discipline Learning Packet System offers educators a discipline curriculum that provides misbehaving students with logical and constructive learning activities while serving time in detention, in the office, in "time-out" rooms or in the classroom. Each discipline packet focuses on a specific rule violation and helps students change through self-evaluation and goal-setting.

Packets help students understand the basis for school rules and the reason rules need to be followed. Each packet is instructional and reflective in nature. Students are guided to realize why their behavior was wrong and how they can avoid future mistakes. Bully Packets for students in grades 2-12 are available.

The Bully Packets have been used in Middle and High schools for the past year. Look at the results of a survey on their use.

New Bully Packets are now available for Elementary School students.

<