These days we fret about so many things that can happen to our kids in school. Are huge class sizes preventing them from learning? Are they getting nutritious food in the cafeteria? Will they get bullied by other students?
Add to the list of worries (and perhaps even to the top): Will they be disciplined by corporal punishment?
A disturbing story in today's New York Times reveals that corporal punishment "is still alive in 20 states, according the Center of Effective Discipline, which tracks its use in schools around the country and encourages its end."
Vote: Should teachers be allowed to use corporal punishment?
If you're over age 30, you may recall the fear the principal's office elicited because of the paddling that could happen if you were sent there for misbehaving. (Apparently up until about 25 years ago, corporal punishment in public schools existed in all but a handful of states. Lawsuits and research that questioned its effectiveness caused states to ban the practice, the Times reported.)
A study found that more than 223,000 kids were subject to corporal punishment in the 2005-2006 school year, according to the federal Department of Education. Recent instances, as reported by the Times, include the case of a Wichita Falls, Tex., teen, who had to be hospitalized after blows from a paddle caused deep bruises. In another case in Mississippi, a boy was paddled so hard he passed out and broke his jaw.
The proponents of corporal punishment insist it's an appropriate way to keep kids in line. But don't we want to teach kids that violence doesn't solve problems? When kids are hit at home, it can be considered child abuse -- should it be any different in schools?
A few years ago a debate began on the issue of "No touch" policies being instituted in schools. The arguably inane policies are meant to discourage both teachers and students from "inappropriate" contact, from hugs to high-fives to horseplay.
It just makes you wonder: As a society, can't we find a happy medium between no physical contact and beating the heck out of our kids?
What do you think? Should schools be allowed to use corporal punishment to discipline kids?