Banning Corporal Punishment For the Sake of the Children

There is also no protection against employing corporal punishment against students with disabilities. Courts have upheld “paddling, isolation, and mouth-taping punishments” without special consideration for students with handicaps (“CorporalPunishment Legalities”, 2003). “In one case, a disabled student was forced to do exercise so rigorous that it led to his death (Hyman and Snook 1999),” (“CorporalPunishment Legalities”, 2003). A bill allowing discipline of the disabled was introduced in June 2001 by Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions and was passed by the U.S. Senate (“CorporalPunishment Legalities”, 2003).

There are several substitutes to physically punishing students at school. For example, the AAP suggests some of the following alternatives: Saturday school, in-school suspension, detention, parent/teacher conferences about the child's behavior, and conferences with students to set realistic rules and determine acceptable behavior. (“Should All Schools”, 2000). The following are alternatives, suggested by the National Association of School Psychologists in 2002, which can be initiated and developed by schools to create an environment where students learn to be self-disciplined:

(a) help students achieve academic success through identification of academic and behavioral deficiencies and strengths and help get them appropriate instruction, (b) use behavioral contracting, (c) encourage positive reinforcement of appropriate behavior, (d) use individual and group counseling (e) encourage disciplinary consequences which are meaningful to students and have an instructional and/or reflection component (f) provide social skills training.

When parents and teachers use alternate forms of punishment such as using a time-out with explaining some reasoning to the child, it can be effective in immediately managing the behavioral disruption without leading to any long-term complications. “Parents should rely more on the other techniques that do teach children why their behaviors are wrong, what the consequence of the behaviors are and what they should do instead,” (Gershoff, 2002).

So what can educators do to help in the fight to ban corporal punishment in schools? According to the Clearing House article “CorporalPunishment Legalities, Realities, and Implications” (2003) educators should take the following actions:

(a) Educate your colleagues at every opportunity. Raise your concerns with other teachers and share what you know about the dangers of corporalpunishment. Have them read what you have read, and try to enlist their support and build a strong core of opposition, (b) promote efforts to be sure your school is safe for children. Research local policy. If corporal  punishment is allowed, consider working for change; meanwhile, try to determine if guidelines are being followed and promote compliance if they are not. In schools where corporal punishment is not permitted, try to determine if the reality of classroom life conforms to regulations; if you find discrepancies, do what you can to spark awareness and promote adherence to policy, (c) seek union support, (d) enlist the help of your parents and teachers association (p. 127).

Corporal punishment should be banned in the United States in both private and public schools, as it has been in several other industrialized countries around the world. Numerous studies have shown the negative affects physical punishment in schools can have on children. There are many alternatives to using violent behavior on children in order to discipline students in school. Turning to these methods of non-violent discipline is long overdue. Alternative forms of discipline could greatly benefit the well-being of our nation's youth.