Not all students follow the rules and are respectful to school officials, however corporal punishment is not the answer.

Fifteen states legally permit corporal punishment in K-12 schools, while 28 states ban the practice. Corporal punishment is defined as a “physical punishment” and a “punishment that involves hitting someone”. In K-12 schools, corporal punishment is often spanking, with either a hand or paddle, or striking a student across his/her hand with a ruler or leather strap. More extreme instances, including the use of a chemical spray and taser, have also been reported in US schools.

In 2014, 94 percent of parents with children three to four years old reported that they had spanked their child within the past year, and 76 percent of men and 65 percent of women agreed with the statement, “a child sometimes needs a good spanking.” The debate over corporal punishment, especially in schools, remains vigorous.

While many parents may think it’s okay to spank their own child, punishing a student is quite different. The American Academy of Pediatrics says corporal punishment “may contribute to disruptive and violent student behavior.” Children who experience corporal punishment are more likely to hit or use other violence against people in order to get their way, putting other children at risk for increased bullying and physical abuse and teachers in potentially violent classrooms. The report goes on explaining, “corporal punishment signals to the child that a way to settle interpersonal conflicts is to use physical force and inflict pain. Such children may in turn resort to such behavior themselves.”

However, the negative effects of corporal punishment cited by critics are attached to prolonged and excessive use of the punishment. Occasional use for serious behavioral issues may be appropriate because a time-out or taking away a toy may not work to correct behavior in a particularly willful or rambunctious child. LaShaun Williams, founder of childcare group Sitter Circle, stated, “there are some children who like to push their limits. Those are the children who may require a pop. Knowing your child is the key to nailing down the most effective forms of discipline… Today’s disrespectful youth have shown what happens when necessary spanking is forgone.”

There is no federal ban or law regulating corporal punishment, but the practice is prohibited in the federal Head Start program. In 1977, the US Supreme Court decision in Ingraham v. Wright found that corporal punishment was not cruel and unusual punishment and is, thus, allowed in schools. Unfortunately, not restricting this punishment could lead to unintentional overuse by school officials. In fact, 70 percent of corporal punishment happens in five states—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas—with the latter two making up 35 percent of all cases; thus exemplifying why this practice is outdated.