Hearing On Corporal Punishment

A congressional hearing on corporal punishment focused on the emotional and physical impact of corporal punishment on children in the classroom, and highlighted legislation (H.R. 1522) which would prohibit corporal punishment in educational programs funded by the federal government. Statements were presented by the following people: (1) Irwin A. Hyman, Director, National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives in the Schools; (2) Marian Pokalo, Supervising Physician and Supervising Psychologist, Atlantic Mental Health Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey; (3) George Batsche, President, National Association of School Psychologists; (4) Frederick C. Green, Past President, National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse; (5) Arlene Zielke, Vice-President for Legislative Affairs, National Parent Teacher Association; (6) Jimmy Dunne, President, People Opposed to Paddling Students; (7) Robert Fathman, President, National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment in School; and (8) Fredda Brown, Association for the Severely Handicapped. Prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials related to the subject of corporal punishment are also included. (MM)

A congressional hearing on corporal punishment focused on the emotional and physical impact of corporal punishment on children in the classroom, and highlighted legislation (H.R. 1522) which would prohibit corporal punishment in educational programs funded by the federal government. Statements were presented by the following people: (1) Irwin A. Hyman, Director, National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives in the Schools; (2) Marian Pokalo, Supervising Physician and Supervising Psychologist, Atlantic Mental Health Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey; (3) George Batsche, President, National Association of School Psychologists; (4) Frederick C. Green, Past President, National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse; (5) Arlene Zielke, Vice-President for Legislative Affairs, National Parent Teacher Association; (6) Jimmy Dunne, President, People Opposed to Paddling Students; (7) Robert Fathman, President, National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment in School; and (8) Fredda Brown, Association for the Severely Handicapped. Prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials related to the subject of corporal punishment are also included. (MM)

This Brief reviews the past, present, and future use of school corporal punishment in the United States, a practice that remains legal in 19 states as it is constitutionally permitted according to the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result of school corporal punishment, nearly 200,000 children are paddled in schools each year. Most Americans are unaware of this fact or the physical injuries sustained by countless school children who are hit with objects by school personnel in the name of discipline. Therefore, Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools begins by summarizing the legal basis for school corporal punishment and trends in Americans’ attitudes about it. It then presents trends in the use of school corporal punishment in the United States over time to establish its past and current prevalence. It then discusses what is known about the effects of school corporal punishment on children, though with so little research on this topic, much of the relevant literature is focused on parents’ use of corporal punishment with their children. It also provides results from a policy analysis that examines the effect of state-level school corporal punishment bans on trends in juvenile crime. It concludes by discussing potential legal, policy, and advocacy avenues for abolition of school corporal punishment at the state and federal levels as well as summarizing how school corporal punishment is being used and what its potential implications are for thousands of individual students and for the society at large. As school corporal punishment becomes more and more regulated at the state level, Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools serves an essential guide for policymakers and advocates across the country as well as for researchers, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students.