19th state laws allow corporal punishment of students Causing controversy

> 19 states' laws allow corporal punishment of students Causing controversy (Alberta Times) Corporal punishment of students is extremely controversial, but the laws of this state and 18 other states still allow schools to beat students...

(Alberta Times)

Corporal punishment of students is extremely controversial, but laws in this state and 18 other states still allow schools to spank students, usually with wooden boards or fiberglass boards, especially in the Midwest and South. The Juvenile Information Clearinghouse reports that more than 28,500 students were spanked in Georgia in 2008, mostly in rural schools; in Florida, about 3,600 students were spanked last year, but it has also attracted attention from state lawmakers. After last year's proposal failed to get a vote, a Florida lawmaker proposed again this year calling for a ban on corporal punishment of students. But opponents say it is a traditional and effective form of punishment. Florida woman Tenika. Jones said her five-year-old son, who attends Joyce Bullock Elementary School, was severely beaten by the principal in April last year. The boy cried for several hours, causing an asthma attack and requiring emergency treatment. The boy was beaten because of a fight with another boy on the school bus. Jones said the boy's butt was so bruised that he missed school for a week and had nightmares at night. "This is child abuse," she said. So she filed a lawsuit in court to ban corporal punishment. Researchers believe that playing with boards can increase children's aggression and even harm their mental development. Tibra. of the Center for Effective Punishment Research. Sandeck said: "Cortic punishment cannot achieve the results we expect, and the same purpose can be achieved through education." Sandeck said that corporal punishment is not only ineffective, but also makes children feel that hitting is a permitted method. She said: "We are not allowed to beat prisoners, and the military is not allowed to beat people. Why do we give prisoners more protection than students?" The states that allow corporal punishment of students are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.