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A worried student sits in a classroom. Should corporal punishment be used in K-12 schools?

Corporal punishment

Should corporal punishment be allowed in K-12 schools?
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Corporal punishment is defined as “punishment that involves hitting someone: physical punishment” by Merriam Webster. The U.S. Department of Education defines the act as “paddling, spanking, or other forms of physical punishment imposed on a child.” In K–12 schools, corporal punishment is most often spanking, with either a hand or a paddle, or striking a student across the hand with a ruler or a leather strap. More extreme instances, including the use of a chemical spray and a Taser, have also been recorded by American schools. [2] [7] [3]

In the United States, 27 states and D.C. “expressly prohibit” corporal punishment, according to a 2023 U.S. Department of Education letter: Alaska, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. [13]

The U.S. Department of Education elaborates:

Depending on the state, corporal punishment remains legal because state law either expressly allows corporal punishment in at least some circumstances or does not expressly prohibit it. The following states expressly allow corporal punishment in schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Some states that expressly allow corporal punishment also expressly prohibit it for students with disabilities, see, e.g., Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Other states do not expressly prohibit corporal punishment in schools, those states are: Colorado (prohibits only for students with disabilities), Connecticut, Kansas, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and South Dakota. [13]

More than 70 percent of corporal punishment in schools happens in just four states: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. Mississippi schools use corporal punishment the most, making up some 25 percent of all cases.[5] [3]

There is no federal ban or law regulating corporal punishment, but the practice is prohibited in the federal Head Start program. In 1977 the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ingraham v. Wright found that corporal punishment was not cruel and unusual punishment and therefore allowed in schools. There has been no more recent federal court ruling on the issue. In May 2023, Sen. Murphy, Christopher (D-CT) introduced the â€Protecting our Students Act” (S.1762) to ban corporal punishment in schools receiving federal funding. The legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) in 2025 (H.R.3265). Neither bill has been voted on. [4]

On March 24, 2023, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona sent a letter to state leaders, saying:

If the use of corporal punishment is permitted or practiced in schools and educational settings within your state or district, I urge you to move swiftly toward condemning and eliminating it
.Schools should be safe places where all students and educators interact in positive ways that foster students’ growth, belonging, and dignity—not places that teach or exacerbate violence and fear. Let’s all work together to move away from this harmful practice and to create learning environments that are safe and supportive for all students. [13]

No states appear to have changed their laws since receiving the letter.

According to a 2024 National Education Association (NEA) report:

during the 2017-18 school year, roughly 69,000 students received corporal punishment, down from 107,000 in 2013. The most recent number available—about 20,000 students in 2020-21—is much lower because in-person instruction and data reporting were disrupted during the [COVID-19] pandemic. [3]

Moreover, the NEA explains:

black students and students with disabilities are twice as likely to receive corporal punishment in school as white students without disabilities. Boys are four times more likely to be hit than girls.” [3]

Some school districts have very specific rules for the punishment. A Parish in Louisiana states that three swats with a paddle “approximately 20 inches long, 4 inches wide, and not exceeding ÂŒ inch in thickness” is the appropriate punishment. However, other districts do not offer guidance. Daryl Scoggin, the superintendent of the Tate County, Mississippi, school district stated, “It’s kind of like, I had it done to me, and so I knew what I needed to do. I guess it’s more that you learn by watching 
 We don’t practice on dummies or anything like that.”[4]

Internationally, 65 countries ban corporal punishment in all instances, including at home. Those countries include Zambia and Mauritius, both of which most recently passed laws in 2022, and Sweden, which passed the first ban in 1979. Most countries ban corporal punishment in some instances. According to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, 15 countries do not ban corporal punishment in any instances, and 29 countries allow corporal punishment (including caning) as a sentence for minors who have committed crimes. [6] [19] [8]

Pros and Cons at a Glance

PROSCONS
Pro 1: Corporal punishment is the appropriate discipline for certain children when used in moderation. Read More.Con 1: Corporal punishment can inflict long-lasting physical and mental harm on students. Read More.
Pro 2: Corporal punishment sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school. Read More.Con 2: Corporal punishment creates an unsafe and violent school environment. Read More.
Pro 3: Corporal punishment is often chosen by students over suspension or detention. Read More.Con 3: Corporal punishment harms the education of children and violates their rights. Read More.

Pro Arguments

 (Go to Con Arguments)

Pro 1: Corporal punishment is the appropriate discipline for certain children when used in moderation.

Occasional use of corporal punishment 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. The negative effects of corporal punishment cited by critics are tied to prolonged and excessive use of the punishment. [23] [22]

LaShaun Williams, founder of the childcare group Sitter Circle, states:

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. [23]

Pro 2: Corporal punishment sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school.

Children are better able to make decisions about their behavior, exercise self-control, and be accountable for their actions when they understand that the penalty they face for misbehaving is commensurate with their actions. [23]

Harold Bennet, president and dean of the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary, states:

Children need to understand boundaries, and I think that children need to understand that there should be punishments 
 in direct proportion to the improper behavior that they might demonstrate. [16]

Some experts state that corporal punishment prevents children from persisting in their bad behavior and growing up to be criminals. [20]

Pro 3: Corporal punishment is often chosen by students over suspension or detention.

When given the choice, some students frequently choose corporal punishment because the hit is a quick punishment that doesn’t cause older children to miss class or other activities or younger children to miss their valued time on the playground. For such students, their education is not interrupted, and make-up work is not required for missed class instruction. The punishment is swift and over quickly. [21]

A former senior at Robbinsville High School in North Carolina stated that she chose corporal punishment over in-school suspension when her phone rang in class. Her principal, David Matheson, stated, “Most kids will tell you that they choose the paddling so they don’t miss class.” [21]

Con Arguments

 (Go to Pro Arguments)

Con 1: Corporal punishment can inflict long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.

Children who have been physically punished are more likely to have problems with aggression and attention. [15] [17] [18]

Studies have shown that frequent use of corporal punishment leads to a higher risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, stress, and other mental health concerns. Children who experience corporal punishment are more likely to relate forms of violence with power, and are, therefore, more likely to be a bully or to abuse a partner. [17] [18]

Con 2: Corporal punishment creates an unsafe and violent school environment.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that corporal punishment “may contribute to disruptive and violent student behavior.” [11]

Children who experience corporal punishment are more likely to hit or use other violence against people in order to get their way, which places other children at risk for increased bullying and physical abuse and teachers at risk for potentially violent classrooms. [17] [18]

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states:

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. [10]

Con 3: Corporal punishment harms the education of children and violates their rights.

Students who experience corporal punishment in kindergarten are more likely to have lower vocabulary scores in fourth grade and lower fifth-grade math scores. [17]

According to the National Women’s Law Center:

Harsh physical punishments do not improve students’ in-school behavior or academic performance. In fact 
 schools in states where corporal punishment is used perform worse on national academic assessments than schools in states that prohibit corporal punishment. [14]

The World Health Organization is clear about corporal punishment. The WHO classifies the practice as:

a violation of children’s rights to respect for physical integrity and human dignity, health, development, education and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. [1]

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Discussion questions

  1. Should corporal punishment be used in K–12 schools? Why or why not?
  2. Should federal laws about the use of corporal punishment be established? Why or why not?
  3. Should corporal punishment be allowed in certain circumstances? Which situations? Why or why not?
  4. What questions do you have after reading the debate above? Where might you find answers?
  5. What was the most interesting thing you learned from this debate?
  6. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? How and why? If your thoughts have not changed, explain how and why you better understand the other side of the debate.
  7. Push for the position and policies you support by writing local officials, U.S. senators and representatives, or other people in a position to make the change you champion.

Sources

  1. World Health Organization, “Corporal Punishment of Children and Health” (May 11, 2026), who.int
  2. Merriam Webster, “Corporal Punishment” merriam-webster.com (accessed October 4, 2025)
  3. Aniya Greene-Santos, “Corporal Punishment in Schools Still Legal in Many States” (May 20, 2024), nea.org
  4. Sarah D. Sparks and Alex Harwin, “Corporal Punishment Use Found in Schools in 21 States” (August 23, 2016), edweek.org
  5. Derrick Johnson, “The Striking Outlier: The Persistent, Painful, and Problematic Practice of Corporal Punishment in Schools” (June 11, 2019), splcenter.org
  6. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Interactive Map” endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed April 10, 2017)
  7. PBS NewsHour, “Assessing Whether Corporal Punishment Helps Students, or Hurts Them” (August 23, 2016), pbs.org
  8. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Global Progress: Corporal Punishment in Schools” endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed December 12, 2024)
  9. Child Trends, “Attitudes Toward Spanking” (November 2015), childtrends.org
  10. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Corporal Punishment in Schools” (September 2014), aacap.org
  11. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Corporal Punishment in Schools” (August 2000), Pediatrics
  12. Donna St. George, “Parents Allege Corporal Punishment at Blue Ribbon School in Maryland” (December 6, 2015), washingtonpost.com
  13. Miguel A. Cardona, “Key Policy Letters Signed by the Education Secretary or Deputy Secretary” (March 24, 2023), ed.gov
  14. National Women’s Law Center, “An Open Letter to End Corporal Punishment in Schools” (November 21, 2016), nwlc.org
  15. Romeo Vitelli, “Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?” (January 18, 2017), psychologytoday.com
  16. NPR, “Does Sparing the Rod Spoil the Child?” (June 19, 2012), npr.org
  17. Emily Cuddy and Richard V. Reeves, “Hitting Kids: American Parenting and Physical Punishment” (November 6, 2014), brookings.edu
  18. Catherine A. Taylor et al., “Mothers’ Spanking of 3-Year-Old Children and Subsequent Risk of Children’s Aggressive Behavior” (May 2010), Pediatrics
  19. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Global Progress” endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed November 2, 2020)
  20. Walter E. Williams, “Making a Case for Corporal Punishment” (September 13, 1999), questia.com
  21. Jess Clark, “Where Corporal Punishment Is Still Used in Schools, Its Roots Run Deep” (April 12, 2017), npr.org
  22. Okey Chigbo, “Disciplinary Spanking Is Not Child Abuse” (2004), Child Abuse
  23. L. Nicole Williams, “8 Reasons to Spank Your Kids” (February 8, 2011), madamenoire.com [Editors’ note: The editors of MadameNoire retracted the cited article on April 28, 2021. Because LaShaun Williams, whom the author, L. Nicole Williams, quotes, does not seem to have issued a retraction, ProCon has left the original opinion in the pro column.]