While the practice itself is troubling, I conducted reveals something even more troubling: Corporal punishment isn鈥檛 just disproportionately used on Black and gender-expansive students 鈥� those whose gender identity falls outside traditional norms 鈥� it鈥檚 also disproportionately condoned by the public when it鈥檚 used on these children.

I surveyed more than 600 Mississippi residents to understand their attitudes about school discipline. Most disapproved of corporal punishment in general, but that feeling weakened when the child being punished was Black or gender-nonconforming. In short: Who a child is imagined to be affects whether that child is believed to deserve protection 鈥� or punishment.

This finding echoes years of research and advocacy warning that corporal punishment is more than just an outdated disciplinary practice. It reveals deep-rooted inequities in America’s schools.

that physical punishment contributes to worse academic outcomes, higher dropout rates,and even increased involvement with the criminal justice system. The has linked it to long-term mental health impacts such as anxiety, depression and PTSD.

In Mississippi, Black students are far more likely to be physically punished than their white peers. A key reason is a well-documented bias called 鈥� the perception that Black children are older, less innocent and more culpable than white youngsters. This leads educators and even the public to support harsher punishments for similar behavior.

Research from has shown how adultification affects Black youth, especially girls. My study confirms that the problem doesn鈥檛 stop at how discipline is applied 鈥� it extends to how it鈥檚 justified.

Even though 61% of respondents in my study agreed that corporal punishment should be banned, support for the practice increased or decreased depending on the perceived identity of the child. For example, on a six-point scale where higher scores indicated stronger support for corporal punishment, participants rated it significantly more appropriate (“fitting the crime”) for a hypothetical Black gender-expansive student (2.73 on the scale) than for a white gender-expansive student (2.32) or a Black cisgender female student (2.26). That鈥檚 not just unfair 鈥� it鈥檚 dangerous.

The good news is that public opinion may be shifting. A 2023 revealed that 65% of U.S. adults agreed with a federal ban on physical punishment in schools, while only 18% were opposed. This growing consensus is reflected in recent legislative actions: and banned physical punishment in public schools in 2023, while and introduced legislation in 2024 to limit the practice. My findings also show that a majority of Mississippians oppose corporal punishment in school. Yet state and federal laws still permit it, revealing a stark disconnect between policy and public will.

That gap must be closed. Here鈥檚 how:

First, Mississippi lawmakers 鈥� and those in the 21 other states where corporal punishment is still allowed 鈥� should immediately ban the practice in all schools. No child should fear physical harm at the hands of a teacher or principal. Nationwide advocacy efforts by organizations like the emphasize the critical need for legislative reform.

Second, schools should adopt , which focus on accountability, dialogue and healing. These methods reduce conflict and improve school climate without resorting to violence. Resources from offer practical guidelines to help educators to implement these approaches.

Finally, transparency is essential. School districts should be required to report disciplinary data by race and gender identity so communities can see what鈥檚 happening and push for changes when needed. Right now, the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 offers a national framework for doing just that聽鈥� including statistics on the demographic breakdown of students exposed to corporal punishment. However, with the ongoing uncertainty around federal policy, there鈥檚 a risk that this resource could be cut, which would make it harder to track how corporal punishment is being used in schools nationwide. We need to speak up to make sure this data collection continues and even gets stronger.

in schools takes a multi-pronged approach. It means changing laws, updating policies and working with communities to push for positive discipline methods that help children thrive without fear of physical punishment. 

It’s time to end this antiquated practice. Not just for some students, but for all of them.

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� A bill that would ban schools from using corporal punishment on students with disabilities passed the Senate on Tuesday despite concerns it removes local control and could go against parental wishes.

The state Department of Education has already prohibited the practice, but seeks to codify into state law a ban against deliberately causing pain by using physical discipline on students with federally protected disabilities.

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鈥淚 have never, ever, ever met a parent of a disabled child call for the beating of their child to make them better,鈥� said Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, the author.

Rader said some of the protected disabilities include deafness, emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, visual impairment or an orthopedic injury.

It defines corporal punishment as the deliberate infliction of pain by hitting, paddling, spanking, slapping, or any other physical force used as a means of discipline.

Rader said corporal punishment could not be used by a school even if a parent agreed to it.

鈥淧erhaps the parent of the child, in most cases, knows best what that child is going to respond to and how the child is going to perform his or her duties in the classroom,鈥� said Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, who voted against the bill.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1977 allows corporal punishment usage in schools, but leaves it to states to set their own rules.

Traditionally, Oklahoma lawmakers have left those decisions to local districts, but the state Department of Education quietly barred the practice on children with disabilities starting in the 2020-21 school year. A 2017 law also prohibits the practice on children with the most 鈥渟ignificant cognitive disabilities.鈥�

During the 2017-18 school year, over 20% of  corporal punishments in Oklahoma schools were administered on , according to federal statistics.

Other forms of discipline are available, Rader said. The bill does not prohibit parents from using corporal punishment, Rader said.

Previous efforts to ban the practice have proven controversial. A similar effort last year cleared the state Senate, but died in the House.

Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, said Tuesday that banning the practice in schools amounts to 鈥渁 top down socialist aligned ideological, unilateral divorce between parents鈥� ability to collaborate with their local schools to establish a disciplined regimen.鈥�

He also said it 鈥渋s a violation of scripture,鈥� and cited Proverbs 22:15 which he said says 鈥渇olly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.鈥�

鈥淭here are going to be times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we won鈥檛 have to fear evil because your rod and your staff comfort me,鈥� Rader responded.

Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, said there could be negative consequences to removing a partnership between parents and local administrators and forcing the removal of a historically necessary and important disciplinary tool for order.

鈥淭his is not a blanket ban,鈥� Rader said.

The vote was 31-16.

The measure moves to the House for possible consideration.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� Oklahoma lawmakers filed hundreds of bills affecting education for the next legislative session.

Oklahoma Voice collected some of the top trends and topics that emerged in legislation related to students, teachers and schools. The state Legislature will begin considering bills once its 2025 session begins Feb. 3.

Bills would restrict minors鈥� use of cellphones and social media

As expected, lawmakers filed multiple bills to limit student cellphone use in public schools, an issue that leaders in both chambers of the Legislature have said is a top priority this year.

The House and Senate each have a bill that would prohibit students from using cellphones during the entire school day. Some while others allow cellphone access in between classes.

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After , Gov. Kevin Stitt that have done so.

from Education Committee vice chair Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, would require all districts to ban students from accessing their cellphones from the morning bell until dismissal, and it would create a $2 million grant program to help schools enact phone-free policies.

from a House leader on education funding, Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, would prohibit student cellphone use while on school premises.

Multiple bills target children鈥檚 social media use. Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, aims to ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 with and, with , to deem social media addictive and dangerous for youth mental health. 

A from Seifried would outlaw social media companies from collecting data from and personalizing content for a minor鈥檚 account, which a child wouldn鈥檛 be allowed to have without parent consent

from Sen. Micheal Bergstron, R-Adair, would require districts to prohibit the use of social media on school computers or on school-issued devices while on campus. from Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, would allow minors or their parents to sue a social media company over an 鈥渁dverse mental health outcome arising, in whole or in part, from the minor鈥檚 excessive use of the social media platform鈥檚 algorithmically curated service.鈥�

School chaplain bill reemerges

Multiple lawmakers have refiled a bill seeking to enable . A version of the controversial bill but .

Its original author, Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, refiled it as . Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, and Sen. Dana Prieto, R-Tulsa, filed similar school chaplain bills with and .

More restrictions suggested for sex education, gender expression

Another unsuccessful bill returning this year is legislation that would have families opt into sex education for their children instead of opting out, which is the state鈥檚 current policy.

Students wouldn鈥檛 be allowed to take any sex education course or hear a related presentation without written permission from their parents under from Prieto, from Danny Williams, R-Seminole, and from Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta.

Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, would have any reference to sex education and mental health removed from health education in schools with .

Prieto鈥檚 bill also would exclude any instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity from sex education courses. It would require school employees to notify a child鈥檚 parents before referring to the student by a different name or pronouns.

Other bills similarly would limit students鈥� ability to be called by a different name or set of pronouns at school if it doesn鈥檛 correspond to their biological sex.

顿别别惫别谤蝉鈥� would bar teachers from calling students by pronouns other than what aligns with their biological sex or by any name other than their legal name without parent consent. Educators and fellow students could not be punished for calling a child by their legal name and biological pronouns.

Rep. Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow, filed a .

No public school could compel an employee or volunteer to refer to a student by a name or pronoun other than what corresponds with their sex at birth under from Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, nor could any printed or multimedia materials in a school refer to a student by another gender.

Corporal punishment in schools

Once again, Oklahoma lawmakers will consider whether to outlaw of students with disabilities. State law currently prohibits using physical pain as discipline on children with only the most significant cognitive disabilities.

In 2020, the state Department of Education used its administrative rules to ban corporal punishment on any student with a disability, but similar bills have failed to pass the state Legislature, drawing frustration from child advocates.

Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, was an author of last year鈥檚 bill to prohibit corporal punishment of students with any type of disability. He filed again for consideration this session.

from Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, would require schools to report to the Oklahoma State Department of Education the number of times they administer corporal punishment along with the age, race, gender and disability status of the students receiving it. The state Department of Education would then have to compile the information in a report to the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com.

In about a third of Florida school districts, and concentrated in rural panhandle enclaves like Daniels鈥檚 Liberty County, corporal punishment as a form of student discipline remains deeply ingrained in the culture. It鈥檚 why on this morning in early December, school leaders instructed the 18-year-old to bend over a desk.

What came next 鈥� a paddling that left deep purple bruises and welts for a minor school offense that Daniels said stemmed from a misunderstanding about Christmas decorations on a campus door 鈥� was far beyond routine student discipline, the Liberty County High School senior told 社区黑料.

It was, she alleges, sexual assault. 

鈥淭hey were so eager to go in there and spank me,鈥� said Daniels, who said she was struck by Assistant Principal Tim Davis, a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the , while Principal Eric Willis observed and laughed. 鈥淭hey took their time, they watched me.鈥�

Liberty County School District officials didn鈥檛 respond to multiple interview requests. Reached by 社区黑料 on his cell phone, Davis declined to comment on the incident or allegations that his use of force was sexual assault.  

The incident, which has sparked controversy in Florida鈥檚 least populous county roughly 50 miles west of Tallahassee, comes as state lawmakers debate the fate of rules that have long permitted teachers to spank students as a disciplinary measure. A significant body of research suggests that corporal punishment has the opposite effect of improving student behaviors and a data analysis by 社区黑料 shows in parts of Florida, it鈥檚 most often used to address minor infractions like 鈥渆xcessive talking,鈥� 鈥渋nsubordination鈥� and 鈥渉orse play.鈥� 

where laws explicitly allow educators to use corporal punishment on students, and the practice is not expressly prohibited by laws in an additional seven states, according to by the U.S. Department of Education. In a letter last year, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urged state lawmakers and school leaders 鈥渢o move swiftly toward condemning and eliminating鈥� a practice that 鈥渃an lead to serious physical pain and injury,鈥� is associated with heightened mental health issues, stunted brain development and hindered academic performance. Nationally, federal data show that corporal punishment is disproportionately used on students of color and those with disabilities. 

Prompted by the advocacy of two Florida college students, there is now , where roughly a third of districts use corporal punishment to discipline kids, that would require educators to get permission from parents each year before spanking their children. The measure would also ban the use of physical force on students with disabilities. The bill garnered unanimous support in a state House subcommittee last month. Yet a companion bill in the Senate has remained stalled and lawmakers worry the effort will falter this legislative session 鈥� as similar efforts have for years. 

Rep. Katherine Waldron, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bipartisan bill, said the subcommittee hearing was the furthest any effort to reform state corporal punishment rules has gotten to date. She credited the momentum to student advocacy, and specifically to the University of Florida students who launched a statewide campaign to change the law. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 great that we have this level of student involvement in the whole process and they鈥檙e really helping to push the bill and they鈥檙e learning a lot,鈥� Waldron said. 鈥淎ny time we have that kind of momentum for a good bill like this, I think representatives should pay attention and try to help.鈥� 

In Liberty County, Daniels said that school officials accused her of lying to a substitute teacher and using her position in the school honor society to get her friend out of class to help with the holiday decorating. When school administrators approached her about the incident a week later, they gave her two options: in-school suspension or corporal punishment 鈥� a choice she said left her feeling coerced. The entire incident stemmed from an honest misunderstanding, she said, and accepting in-school suspension would have required her to miss an exam for a dual-enrollment college class and to be late for work at Chick-fil-A. 

She chose to get spanked. 

鈥淎s soon as it happened, I really just felt sexually assaulted. I felt disgusted with myself that I even kind of gave them permission,鈥� said Daniels, who transitioned to online-only instruction after the incident and fears she may someday run into Davis or Willis at their small-town grocery store. Daniels has spoken out against corporal punishment in Florida schools and her paddling . Her mother calling on lawmakers to ban the 鈥渟ystemic issue prevalent across 19 school districts in Florida.鈥� 

鈥淚 felt like they really just got off by it,鈥� Daniels said, adding that a parent could face child protective services investigations for leaving similar bruises on their kid. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even think I could look them in the eyes now, not even now. And you know about my senior year, after the situation I really truly started realizing, I鈥檓 not going to have a senior year anymore.鈥� 

鈥榊ou can get a paddling鈥�

In recent years there have been numerous cases in Florida that resemble the one involving Daniels. Yet even in districts where parents can opt their children out of being hit as a form of discipline 鈥� and even in incidents where parents accuse educators of going too far 鈥� law enforcement officials have pointed to a state law permitting the practice. Kristina Vann, Daniels鈥檚 mother, said she had not given Liberty County educators consent to hit her daughter.

That didn鈥檛 stop Assistant Principal Davis from drawing the paddle. 

Daniels reported the incident to the Liberty County Sheriff鈥檚 Office and, in an interview with 社区黑料, Undersheriff Robert 鈥淒usty鈥� Arnold acknowledged the agency looked into the case but said they don鈥檛 plan to pursue criminal charges. He called the case 鈥渁 non-issue鈥� involving a permitted form of discipline that Daniels had consented to. The entire incident, he said, was 鈥渂eing blown out of proportion.鈥� 

鈥淚t鈥檚 the state law,鈥� Arnold said in an interview. 鈥淎nd if you choose to take a paddling, you can get a paddling. My understanding is she was given options and she chose that.鈥�

Sam Boyd, a supervising attorney at the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center, which has in Florida and nationally, said he鈥檚 aware of 鈥渁 fact pattern鈥� of corporal punishment incidents 鈥渢hat may be much more of a serious sexual assault than punishment.鈥� 

The case involving Daniels, who is an adult in the eyes of the law, presents its own set of complicated legal questions, he said. 

鈥淭o the extent that schools are stepping in for parents, if that鈥檚 the theory behind corporal punishment, it鈥檚 hard to see how that makes any sense in the context of people who are legally adults,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a policy matter, it doesn鈥檛 make any sense to be using corporal punishment against adults, although of course it doesn鈥檛 in our view, make any sense to be using it against minors either.鈥� 

Florida鈥檚 law permitting corporal punishment in schools has been used in previous incidents to shield educators from criminal charges. In 2018, for example, against a Lake County bus monitor who was accused of using in ways that constituted child abuse, including grabbing children by their faces, twisting their heads and pushing them against a wall in the bus. Prosecutors concluded that the state law superseded a school district policy banning corporal punishment. 

Three years later, in 2021, an elementary school principal in Hendry County was caught on video spanking a 6-year-old girl with a wooden paddle despite a district policy prohibiting such actions. Although the state corporal punishment law requires educators to comply with local district rules, prosecutors declined to pursue charges and claimed the girl鈥檚 mother 鈥� an undocumented immigrant who filmed the encounter and shared the footage with a local television station 鈥� had consented to the beating and at no point spoke up to 鈥渞aise any objection.鈥� 

The Hendry County incident prompted an investigation by 社区黑料, which revealed numerous incidents where students had been subjected to corporal punishment in school districts across the country where that practice had been outlawed. 

For University of Florida student Graham Bernstein, that investigation served as a wake-up call. The Hendry County incident coincided with another failed legislative effort to ban corporal punishment and he felt that more needed to be done to stop the practice, he told 社区黑料. He joined up with a classmate, Konstantin Nakov, and wrote the bill now pending in Tallahassee that the duo hopes will persuade state officials to view Florida鈥檚 history of corporal punishment in a different light. 

The business of hitting kids

First, Bernstein and Nakov set out to get a better understanding of corporal punishment in Florida which, according to state data, was used to punish 509 students last school year.

Through emails and public records requests with districts statewide, the students found that the practice was being used to discipline the same students repeatedly 鈥� about half of whom were in special education 鈥� and often for minor classroom infractions. In Columbia County, records shared with 社区黑料 revealed, spanking was primarily reserved for elementary school students. Of the 824 incidents of corporal punishment in the north central Florida county between August 2018 and May 2022, 84% were attributed to minor infractions including the use of inappropriate language, disrupting the classroom environment and inappropriate use of electronic devices. Fewer than 13% of incidents were initiated after a student hit a classmate.

The practice was also used more than a dozen times at Pathways Academy, an alternative education program in Columbia County that it specifically serves students 鈥渨ith behavior, academic and attendance barriers鈥� and those with disabilities who need additional support 鈥渢o overcome their own barriers.鈥� 

Columbia County school district officials didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment about their corporal punishment practices. 

While previous efforts to ban corporal punishment in Florida schools have focused on the research suggesting it鈥檚 an ineffective disciplinary tool and has negative consequences for students, Bernstein and Nakov used another tact to get support from Republicans, who represent the rural, predominantly conservative counties where the practice is primarily used. 

They took a page from GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥檚 playbook and presented the issue as one of parental rights.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what it is about conservative Republicans, but some of them just think that it鈥檚 a good disciplinary intervention to strike children,鈥� Bernstein said. 鈥淎 big emphasis has been recently on the whole idea of parental rights and making it so the government doesn鈥檛 have the ability to do something without a parent agreeing to it. And so we thought we can apply that here. 鈥� Especially with some of these more conservative legislators, who are really zealous supporters of this idea of parental rights, let鈥檚 test their rhetoric against them and see if it sticks.鈥� 

Still, getting buy-in from lawmakers wasn鈥檛 easy, said Nakov, who graduated from the University of Florida last year and now attends medical school in Bradenton, Florida. He and Bernstein have spent the last several years sending emails to legislative offices and taking road trips to the statehouse to speak with potential sponsors. 

Rep. Mike Beltran, a Republican from Apollo Beach who co-sponsored the bill, said the legislation fits in line with other efforts in Florida to bolster parental rights. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the parents should spank the kids either, but certainly the school should not be doing it and certainly the school should not be doing it without the parents鈥� approval or knowledge,鈥� Beltran said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no due process 鈥� there鈥檚 no due process at all 鈥� and you鈥檙e going to spank them?鈥�

If Florida bans corporal punishment and educators fail to comply, Beltran said that students and parents should 鈥渟ue their pants off.鈥� 

鈥業 took it very easy on her鈥�

Back in Liberty County, Brooklynn Daniels鈥檚 mother used a school communication platform to confront Davis on the way he spanked her daughter. In a text chat on the app ParentSquare that she shared with 社区黑料, Vann offered the assistant principal photographic proof that her daughter鈥檚 鈥渂utt is red all over,鈥� from the paddling. Davis declined the photo and defended his actions. 

鈥淚 can assure you I took it very easy on her,鈥� Davis wrote. 鈥淚鈥檓 teased by staff in the front office about how soft I swing a paddle and I took it especially easy on Brooklyn, as I do with any female.鈥� 

Vann was floored at his characterization, especially given Davis鈥檚 career in professional baseball in the 1990s, which also included stints with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and . 

鈥淭hat man went from swinging bats for a living to beating children,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o how do I know where he went to school to learn how to 鈥� instead of hitting a baseball out into the outfield 鈥� to gently swing a paddle to hit my kid?鈥� 

Vann sees insular, hometown favoritism at the root of how school leaders handled her daughter and defended Davis, a Liberty County High School alumnus. The family moved to the rural county from urban Tallahassee 鈥� and longtime residents, Vann said, resented Brooklynn.

鈥淪he鈥檚 made homecoming twice, she鈥檚 a cheerleader, she鈥檚 well known in the community. She鈥檚 made her mark here and she鈥檚 not from Liberty County,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have what they call the good ol鈥� boys system here. If you鈥檙e not born and raised here, they鈥檙e not going to protect you and they don鈥檛 like you. They don鈥檛 like outsiders.鈥� 

To Undersheriff Arnold, a fourth-generation Liberty County resident, the culture of school corporal punishment contributes to a polite community where people refer to others by 鈥渟ir鈥� and 鈥渕a鈥檃m.鈥� He recalled the times when he was paddled inside the local schools, where he and other students were sternly punished 鈥渋f you got out of line.鈥� 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of what our country is missing now: Too many people get away with too many things and there鈥檚 no punishment for anything, there鈥檚 no accountability for anything anymore,鈥� Arnold said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e held accountable, it keeps you in check.鈥� 

Arnold said he isn鈥檛 aware of any other instances in the county where a student reported school corporal punishment to law enforcement. He described the incident involving Daniels as one where a high school beauty pageant contestant has sought to rake in views and likes on social media. He offered a steadfast endorsement of local education leaders, adding that he鈥檚 鈥渁 little bit passionate when it comes to our school district.鈥� 

鈥淚 know what kind of school we have, I have children at that school, and I trust those individuals with my kids鈥� lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey are good people 鈥� they are really good people. They don鈥檛 want to do anything else in this county but help these children get an education.鈥�

Yet for Daniels, she can鈥檛 get away from the thick wooden paddle and the bruises it left on her body.

鈥淚t was black and blue and purple and yellow and you could see where all the bruises had already started forming鈥� in just minutes, she said, after she left the principal鈥檚 office and rushed into a school bathroom.

鈥淚t鈥檚 insane how hard they hit me.鈥�

Short of banning school officials from paddling or hitting kids, the proposal from Palm Beach Democrat Rep. Katherine Waldron would require schools that use corporal punishment to get permission to do so from parents at the beginning of the school year.

Principals would be barred from hitting kids whose parents don鈥檛 opt in or fill out a permission slip. The bill gained unanimous approval in its first committee stop. The identical Senate version has not been heard.

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鈥淢any people probably did think that it was already banned. I didn鈥檛 know it was a district-by-district thing. 鈥� I can tell you that if it were me and my kid came home and told me that they mouthed off to the teacher and as a result of mouthing off to the teacher some principal took a piece of wood to them; Me and that principal would have issues,鈥� said Democratic Rep. Christopher Benjamin of Miami-Dade County. 鈥淭his bill doesn鈥檛 go far enough. It should be outright banned.鈥�

The measure also bans using physical force on students with students with disabilities and homeless students. Charter schools, which are public schools in Florida, would have to comply with corporal punishment restrictions.

Florida isn鈥檛 alone in the use of corporal punishments against students. While the practice is most common in southern states, only 27 states have , according to the latest analysis from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Over the past decade, school districts have lessened their use of corporal punishment, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 uncommon. In the previous school year, 18 districts reported 509 instances in which officials used physical force to discipline students, according to the Florida Department of Education. When and how the students can be hit is largely left up to principals. Only principals, not teachers, would be allowed to hit the kids under the proposal.

Reported instances of corporal punishment are concentrated in northern Florida counties such as Suwannee, Holmes, Columbia and Calhoun.

鈥楥apricious and arbitrary treatment鈥�

Although the bill garnered bipartisan support, some House Republicans in the Education Quality Subcommittee said they disfavored a restriction against corporal punishment for students with individual education plans, which demonstrate that a student has different needs or could have a disability. Pasco Rep. Brad Yeager said his son had an IEP but that it didn鈥檛 affect his behavior. He also asked if Waldron would consider changing the bill so that parents have to indicate they don鈥檛 want principals to paddle their kids.

Waldron said the IEP provision protects students with disabilities who may not be able to control their behavior. In the 2020-2021 school year, school officials reported hitting 200 students with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The line of questioning from Marion Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin about whether misbehavior had gone up in counties that didn鈥檛 use corporal punishment irked fellow Republican Rep. Mike Beltran of Hillsborough and Manatee. Beltran is one of the GOP sponsors of the bill.

鈥淭he subtext to some of the questioning was that somehow we were being lenient, or excessively lenient to children, or that there was some problem in society that arose today that we need to preserve, or expand, or continue to use corporal punishment. I haven鈥檛 been lenient at all,鈥� Beltran said.

He also said that corporal punishment should be banned completely. The Legislature attempted to do so not too long ago. In 2019, then Sen. Annettee Taddeo sponsored a bill .

He continued: 鈥淚 could get sentenced by a judge, and they鈥檙e still not going to paddle me. Yet some principal and some teacher, basically, can decide to discipline the child. It makes absolutely no sense. It鈥檚 completely susceptible to capricious and arbitrary treatment.鈥�

Chamberlin responded that he asked those questions because he was curious about Florida鈥檚 use of corporal punishment.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about necessarily personal preference. It鈥檚 understanding what鈥檚 in the best interest of the children and how they can grow and learn,鈥� he said.

Waldron gave credit to a group of University of Florida students who pushed lawmakers to take up the issue.

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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has that bans physical discipline at public elementary and secondary schools unless parents provide written permission.

State law currently allows public school teachers and administrators to use corporal punishment on students without parents鈥� permission. Such discipline includes 鈥渉itting, paddling, striking, spanking, slapping, or any other physical force that causes pain or physical discomfort,鈥� according to the new law that goes into effect in August. It will also apply to nonpublic schools that receive state funds.

At least 27 of Louisiana鈥檚 69 school systems have banned corporal punishment and at least 19 allowed it as of 2022, .

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The bill, written by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, would require parents in districts that still use corporal punishment to sign a permission slip if they allow their child to be physically disciplined. The bill gives parents the choice over how their child is punished, she said.

Hilferty attempted a similar bill last year that narrowly failed to advance from the House. This year, it passed the House in a 74-21 vote and was approved in the Senate, 37-1.

In the 1977 Ingraham v. Wright case, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of corporal punishment in public schools. More than a dozen states still allow corporal punishment in public schools, , and nearly all allow it in private schools.

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Texas lawmakers on Wednesday voted against a bill that would prohibit public school employees from using corporal punishment on students.

received a 58-86 vote in the lower chamber. Rep. , a Houston Democrat and former public school educator, has carried a bill to eliminate the controversial practice in each biennial session for the past 18 years. The bill passed 5-2 out of the Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety earlier this month.

On the House Floor on Wednesday afternoon, Rep. , R-The Woodlands, and Rep. , R-Tyler, said schools should be able to continue using corporal punishment, which includes hitting, spanking, paddling or deliberately inflicting physical pain on a student鈥檚 body to discipline them.

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鈥淜ids do need to fear leadership,鈥� Toth said. 鈥淎nd so I ask respectfully that we adhere to that in our schools.鈥�

Arguing against the bill, Schaefer referenced a biblical proverb that he said endorses disciplining children. 鈥淲e will be wise members to follow the design that God has for disciplining children,鈥� Schaefer said.

Until this year, Texas was one of , most of which are in the South, to allow corporal punishment in public schools. and passed bills this month to bar the practice.

Texas educators can use physical means of punishment if a school鈥檚 board of trustees adopts a policy allowing it. However, a parent in one of those districts can opt a student out of receiving corporal punishment by providing a written notice to the district.

It is not entirely clear how many districts in Texas use corporal punishment. A by the Intercultural Development Research Association found that during the 2017-18 school year, 1,165 Texas schools used the practice to discipline nearly 13,000 students. The nonprofit found that Black students and students with disabilities were disproportionately impacted.

A wide body of research has found that corporal punishment can be harmful to students both physically and psychologically. During a public hearing earlier this month, parents and disability rights activists spoke against the practice and urged the Legislature to ban it.

Clayton Travis, director of advocacy and health policy for the Texas Pediatric Society, said he and other medical professionals have seen kids who suffer from fear and anxiety after facing physical violence from adults. He said nonviolent practices, such as setting boundaries and using positive reinforcement, are more effective discipline tools.

鈥淚鈥檇 like for schools to be [students鈥橾 happy place where they learn and where they are very comfortable,鈥� Allen said on the House floor. 鈥淣ot where they鈥檙e going to get beat.鈥�

Adoneca Fortier, legislative director for Allen, said the representative will carry the bill again during Texas鈥� 89th legislative session in 2025 if asked. Allen was not immediately available for comment.

This article originally appeared in a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Early on in his administrative career, longtime Missouri educator Chris Belcher had what he called the worst experience of his life.

鈥淭he kid screamed, and I felt awful,鈥� he said.

He didn鈥檛 want to do it, but he had to.

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It was the 1980s, and Belcher was told to paddle a student who was enrolled in the school district鈥檚 special education program. The administrator who typically oversaw discipline for that particular student was out that day, leaving Belcher to handle the punishment.

As upsetting as the situation was to both the student and Belcher, it also reaffirmed his strong belief in cognitive and nonpunitive strategies.

School corporal punishment, which gained traction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is a physical disciplinary method to correct student misbehavior. In most instances where the practice is used, students are paddled by a district superintendent or school principal.

Missouri鈥檚 Cassville R-IV School District made headlines last August when it chose to reinstate its corporal punishment policy. That move 鈥� which ignited a national conversation on swatting鈥檚 place in schools 鈥� came shortly after a state law regarding student discipline took effect. The statute, , required districts to get written parent permission to administer swats before doing so. Districts that implement corporal punishment are expected to send out permission forms at the start of the school year.

Amid the media frenzy surrounding Cassville鈥檚 decision came public debate on the practice. Although some argue corporal punishment traumatizes students and damages childhood development, others call the tactic time-tested and effective. Apparently caught in the middle are districts with policies that allow corporal punishment but instead opt for conversation-based strategies.

So at a time when alternative behavior management practices have become mainstream, why do some Missouri districts hold on to corporal punishment?

Carla London, chief equity officer of Columbia Public Schools, identified a core reason:

鈥淧eople go to 鈥� good or bad 鈥� they go back to what they know, what was used on them.鈥�

Columbia Public Schools does not use corporal punishment, but London has about 30 years of experience in monitoring childhood development. She spent most of her career in education but also worked at Texas Child Protective Services and was a medical social worker at Children鈥檚 Medical Center Dallas. She has a background in psychology.

鈥楤uilding strong character鈥�

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