Young Lives study data from four developing countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) revealed that . Experiences of corporal punishment at school at age 8 predicted lower self-efficacy and self-esteem at age 12, as well as lower math scores (3 countries) and lower vocabulary scores (1 country) (Ogando Portela & Pells, 2015). Corporal punishment refers to physical discipline which, in the school context, usually means paddling or hitting. The majority of states have banned corporal punishment in public schools. However, Palmetto State still allows school authorities to authorize corporal punishment if they deem it just and appropriate. Here are the basics of corporal punishment in public school laws in South Carolina. There are many anecdotal accounts from interviews, news and court cases (e.g. Block, 2013; C. A.
ex rel G.A. v. Morgan Co. Vol. of Educ., 2008; Garcia ex rel. Miera, 1987; Hardy, 2013; Ingraham v. Wright, 1977) of children suffering from a number of serious injuries resulting from corporal punishment at school, often requiring medical attention, including bruises, bruises, nerve and muscle damage, cuts and fractures. The Society for Adolescent Medicine (2003) estimates that between 10,000 and 20,000 students require medical care each year due to corporal punishment in schools. These injuries likely result from the use of objects such as the paddle to hit children. List of states that have banned corporal punishment in public schools in chronological order While South Carolina`s law may seem simple, interpreting the state`s education laws can be difficult. For more articles and resources on this topic, see the School Discipline section of FindLaw. If you need legal assistance regarding an educational matter, you can contact an education attorney in South Carolina.
“Teachers, principals and superintendents in each district are exempt from civil and criminal liability for exercising appropriate physical discipline over a student, as permitted by board policies.” (Annotated Laws of Wyoming, 2015) Table 5 shows the percentage of children who received corporal punishment by the three student characteristics. Black boys have the highest overall rate of corporal punishment in school (16%), followed by white boys (9%). Black boys are 1.8 times more likely than white boys to be physically punished, while black girls are 3 times more likely than white girls to be physically punished. For black and white boys, students with and without disabilities are equally likely to be physically punishable, while for black and white girls, girls with disabilities are slightly more likely to experience corporal punishment than their non-disabled peers. However, contrary to our predictions, Black boys with disabilities are not physically punished at the highest rate, suggesting that being Black, being a boy, and having a disability each carries a unique but shared risk of corporal punishment at school. A shared source of risk is the fact that Black students are more likely to be identified as having disabilities, such as emotional disorders, intellectual disabilities, and specific learning disabilities, than non-Black children (Losen, Hodson, Ee, & Martinez, 2014). The greater likelihood that Black children will be identified as disabled than non-Black children may explain why the rates in Table 5 are more differentiated by race than by disability status. However, experience shows that parents often cannot limit their strength enough to leave no trace and that, at least under current DSS guidelines, leaving a mark or bruise is enough for the DSS to begin investigating child abuse cases. Given contemporary customs, the best approach to corporal punishment for parents in South Carolina is to renounce it. The benefits that parents expect from this method of discipline no longer outweigh the risks of DSS intervention. Corporal punishment is not effective in increasing short-term adherence (Gershoff & Grogan-Kaylor, 2016) or promoting long-term adherence and moral behaviour (Regev, Gueron-Sela & Atzaba-Poria, 2012). The more corporal punishment children receive, the more likely they are to be aggressive and misbehave over time, regardless of how aggressive or disobedient they are initially (Berlin et al., 2009; Gershoff, Lansford, Sexton, Davis-Kean, & Sameroff, 2012; Lee, Altschul, & Gershoff, 2013).
Contrary to the arguments of advocates of corporal punishment in schools that a ban would lead to an increase in misconduct and criminal activity (Dubanoski, Inaba & Gerkewicz, 1983; Medway and Smircic, 1992), states that have banned corporal punishment in their schools have not experienced a subsequent increase in juvenile delinquency over time (Gershoff et al., 2015). Therefore, there is no evidence that eliminating corporal punishment in schools creates a permissive environment nationwide where young people cannot control their behaviour. The governing body of each school district may inflict corporal punishment on any student it deems just and appropriate. Under Palmetto State law, “the governing body of each school district may physically punish any student it deems just and appropriate.” Unlike some states, it is not necessary to obtain parental permission first. (Corporal punishment in loco parentis is also exempt from the state`s Child Abuse Act.) Note: This map excludes 5 states where corporal punishment is legal in schools (AZ, CO, ID, KS, WY) but had very low use rates. For the 14 States represented: n = 3,640 districts; 1,234 districts had at least one school that used corporal punishment of 10 or more students.