The phrase “corporal punishments in schools” brings to mind Agatha Trenchbull, the absurdly aggressive, vile principal from the children’s movie, Matilda. Or the 1930s nuns armed with rulers, recalled by our grandparents.
Yet this backwards method is actually a part of today’s reality? Research has shown nearly a quarter-million students in our country are punished through physical means each year.
I thought we were in the 21st century here, not a recurring nightmare. My mistake.
It seems so outrageous to say any U.S. school still partakes in this, that it’s nearly impossible to believe that striking pupils as a means of discipline is still legal within 20 states in our country.
Most of these states are in the south or rural areasaka places that are highly embedded in tradition and often resistant to change. Somehow, these government officials actually believe this old-fashioned practice is still a good idea.
“Each year, prodded by child safety advocates, state legislatures debate whether corporal punishment amounts to an archaic form of child abuse or an effective means of discipline,” a New York Times reporter writes.
Seriously? What’s the debate about? Striking youth as a means of punishment is abusive, plain and simple.
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