James Ingraham did not deserve the outrageous punishment he received. School is supposed to be a place of safety and comfort.

The case of Ingraham v. Wright took place on April 19, 1977, and ruled that corporal punishment in public schools did not violate constitutional rights. This particular case involved an eighth-grade student, James Ingraham, and an assistant principal, Lemmie Deliford. The student was reportedly misbehaving and was hit by the assistant principal more than 20 times with a paddle, requiring medical attention afterwards.

Discipline is a necessity throughout school systems. Making mistakes is common, yet, it’s crucial that it is confronted and dealt with. This does not mean it’s ok to punish students to a physical extent. A conversation is needed and based on the punishment, suspension, detention, or even expulsion may have to happen as well. Teaching a student to behave by hitting them with a paddle is not discipline in a school system, it’s abuse

In 1971, the same situation took place with an additional student, Roosevelt Andrews. This brought much more concern to the topic and a complaint was filed. The complaint focused on how the administration was violating the student’s basic rights. For example, this was a case of apparent “cruel and unusual punishment” which refers to the Eighth Amendment as well as the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The complaint was overlooked and dismissed by a district court.