Figure 2 is another example of school districts that generally eliminate corporal punishment, with the exception of those in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, where its use remains widespread. But in many states, there`s one place where it`s allowed to hit, hit, or hit: school. [39] House Act 1623 prohibits the use of corporal punishment against students “identified as having the most significant cognitive disabilities” unless the child`s parent or guardian renounces or consents to its use as part of an individualized educational program. Some States recognize the right of parents to influence or at least be informed about the discipline of their children. Parents in two states, North Carolina and Texas, can submit a signed form stating that their child should not receive corporal punishment. In both states, failure to make a written request constitutes de facto authorization to administer corporal punishment to the child (North Carolina General Statutes, 2015; Texas Code of Education, 2013). In Georgia, parents can prevent their children from receiving corporal punishment by submitting a form signed by a state-licensed doctor at the time of registration stating that corporal punishment would be detrimental to the child`s mental or emotional stability. Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina expressly grant parents the right to receive a written explanation of the reason for the child`s punishment and the name of a witness to the punishment (Florida Statutes, 2015; Code of Georgia, 2015; North Carolina General Statutes, 2015). Florida laws (2015) also require districts that use corporal punishment to review their policies every three years at a council meeting that includes public testimony and provides a mechanism for public input and discussion. The second cycle review took place in 2015 (Session 22).

In its national report, the administration noted efforts to address the “disproportionate” discipline of African-American students, but did not refer to ending all corporal punishment. During the review:[2] Mississippi schools physically punish most of their children, 7% of all students, and the largest total number of children, 32,157. Consistent with the state-level trend illustrated above, Alabama and Arkansas have the next highest prevalence rates, at 4% each. Texas physically punishes the second largest number of children, 29,835, but because of its larger number of students, that`s less than 1 percent of the children in its public schools. Overall, 14 of the 19 states that still allow corporal punishment use it on less than 1% of their children in any given year. (Reported in “Corporal Punishment in Black Communities: Not an Intrinsic Cultural Tradition but a Racial Trauma,” JCF News, April 2017 www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2017/04/racial-trauma) The use of articles to administer corporal punishment can result in serious injury. A study on the link between gender and corporal punishment in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the United States, which used interviews with approximately 4,000 mothers, fathers and children aged 7 to 10, found that in the United States, 38% of girls and 36% of boys had experienced “light” corporal punishment (beatings, Knocking or hitting with your bare hand; Hitting or hitting the hand, arm or leg; Shake; or hitting with an object), and 4 per cent of girls and 5 per cent of boys had experienced severe corporal punishment (hitting or hitting the child in the face, head or ears) by a member of their household in the past month. A smaller percentage of parents felt corporal punishment was necessary for child-rearing: among girls, 17 per cent of mothers and 11 per cent of fathers considered it necessary; among boys: 13% of mothers and 16% of fathers. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against corporal punishment because non-physical discipline techniques work best and avoid the negative consequences of corporal punishment, including: making children more aggressive or violent, potentially causing them physical harm, and teaching them that it`s okay to physically hurt a loved one. In the United States, public school staff are allowed to discipline children who are not related to them because they are treated as loco parentis or “instead of the parent” (Conte, 2000). As noted above, corporal punishment is permitted in schools under a 1977 Supreme Court decision known as Ingraham v.