Corporal Punishment
Since “corporal” means something “related to the body,” corporal punishment is defined as a “physical punishment” or a “punishment that involves hitting someone.” The U.S. Department of Education defines it as “paddling, spanking, or other forms of physical punishment imposed on a child.” In a school setting, such punishment often takes the form of spanking with a hand or paddle, or striking a student across his or her hand with a ruler or a leather strap. In more extreme instances, such punishment has involved the use of a Taser and a chemical spray.[2][7][37]
In 2014, 94% of parents with children three to four years old reported that they had spanked their child within the past year, and 76% of men and 65% of women agreed with the statement “a child sometimes needs a good spanking.” The prevalence of corporal punishment appears to decline as the child gets older. Among parents with 2- to 12-year-olds, a study (covering data from 1993 to 2017) reported a decrease in spanking from 60% to 39%. A 2021 study by the Harvard School of Education found that one-third of parents admitted to spanking their children weekly.[9][33][36]
As the National Education Association (NEA) reported in 2024, 23 states either allow, or haven’t officially banned, corporal punishment for the disciplining of children in public schools. According to the NEA, “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] pandemic.” Moreover, “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.” According to the NEA, in May 2023, Sen. Murphy, Christopher (D-CT) introduced the Protecting our Students Act to ban corporal punishments in schools receiving federal funding. [4][9][12][32][37]
More than 70% 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% of all cases.[35][37]
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. [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.” No states appear to have changed their laws since receiving the letter. [32]
Most states and school districts have very specific rules for the punishment. Louisiana law, for example, states “the use of any form of corporal punishment is prohibited in any public school unless the student’s parent or legal guardian provides written consent for the use of corporal punishment in a document created by the state Department of Education solely for such purpose.”[4]
Internationally, according to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children in 2024, corporal punishment in schools is lawful in 62 countries. In 29 countries, the whipping, flogging, caning of juveniles is still lawful under national, traditional and/or religious law as a sentence for crimes.[6][30][34][38]
So, should corporal punishment be used in K-12 schools? Explore the debate below.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 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 is an inappropriate punishment that 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 is 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. [24][25]
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.” [24]
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. [24]
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. [27]
Pro 3: Corporal punishment is often chosen by students over suspension or detention.
When given the choice, some students frequently choose corporal punishment because it 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.[26]
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.” [26]
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 is an inappropriate punishment that harms the education of children and violates their rights.
The World Health Organization is clear about its perception of corporal punishment: it 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.”
Interestingly, corporal punishment has been banned in U.S. prisons and military training, and animals are protected from the punishment in every state, and yet it’s still allowed on our children and in our schools. [14]
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]
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Discussion Questions
- Should corporal punishment be used in K–12 schools? Why or why not?
- Should federal laws about the use of corporal punishment be established? Why or why not?
- Could corporal punishment be good, and should it be encouraged, in certain circumstances? Which situations? Why or why not?
Take Action
- Evaluate an opinion article from a former educator about the use of corporal punishment.
- Learn about the laws governing corporal punishment in the United States.
- Consider the Southern Poverty Law Center and the UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies report on corporal punishment inequities.
- Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position.
- Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.
Sources
- EdWeek Research Center, “Is Corporal Punishment an Option in Your State?,” edweek.org, Aug. 23, 2016
- “Corporal,” “Corporal Punishment,” merriam-webster.com (accessed October 4, 2025)
- Russell Wilson, “Bill Would Finally, Fully Ban Corporal Punishment in Maine Schools,” mainebeacon.com, Mar. 1, 2017
- Louisiana State Legislature, RS 17:416.1, legis.la.gov (accessed October 3, 2025)
- Tim Walker, “Why Are 19 States Still Allowing Corporal Punishment in Schools?,” neatoday.org, Oct. 17, 2016
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, Interactive Map, endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed Apr. 10, 2017)
- PBS NewsHour, “Assessing Whether Corporal Punishment Helps Students, or Hurts Them,” pbs.org, Aug. 23, 2016
- Melinda D. Anderson, “Where Teachers Are Still Allowed to Spank Students,” theatlantic.com, Dec. 15, 2015
- Child Trends, “Attitudes Toward Spanking,” childtrends.org, Nov. 2015
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Corporal Punishment in Schools,” aacap.org, Sep. 2014
- American Academy of Pediatrics, “Corporal Punishment in Schools,” Pediatrics, Aug. 2000
- Donna St. George, “Parents Allege Corporal Punishment at Blue Ribbon School in Maryland,” washingtonpost.com, Dec. 6, 2015
- John B. King, Jr., Letter to States Calling for an End to Corporal Punishment in Schools, ed.gov, Nov. 22, 2016
- National Women’s Law Center, “An Open Letter to End Corporal Punishment in Schools,” nwlc.org, Nov. 21, 2016
- Romeo Vitelli, “Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?,” psychologytoday.com, Jan. 18, 2017
- NPR, “Does Sparing the Rod Spoil the Child?,” npr.org, June 19, 2012
- Emily Cuddy and Richard V. Reeves, “Hitting Kids: American Parenting and Physical Punishment,” brookings.edu, Nov. 6, 2014
- Catherine A. Taylor et al., “Mothers’ Spanking of 3-Year-Old Children and Subsequent Risk of Children’s Aggressive Behavior,” Pediatrics, May 2010
- FindLaw, “South Dakota Corporal Punishment in Public Schools Law,” findlaw.com (accessed Apr. 11, 2017)
- FindLaw, “New Hampshire Corporal Punishment in Public Schools Law,” findlaw.com (accessed Apr. 11, 2017)
- Russell Wilson, “Bill Would Finally, Fully Ban Corporal Punishment in Maine Schools,” mainebeacon.com, Mar. 1, 2017
- Brian Eason, “Bill Would Ban Corporal Punishment in Colorado Public Schools,” denverpost.com, Jan. 23, 2017
- Nicholas Garcia, “Corporal Punishment Bill Goes Down in Colorado Senate Committee,” denverpost.com, Mar. 13, 2017
- L. Nicole Williams, “8 Reasons to Spank Your Kids,” madamenoire.com, Feb. 8, 2011 (Editors’ note: The editors of MadameNoire retracted the cited article on Apr. 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.)
- Okey Chigbo, “Disciplinary Spanking Is Not Child Abuse,” Child Abuse, 2004
- Jess Clark, “Where Corporal Punishment Is Still Used in Schools, It’s Roots Run Deep,” npr.org, Apr. 12, 2017
- Walter E. Williams, “Making a Case for Corporal Punishment,” questia.com, Sep. 13, 1999
- Christina Caron, “In 19 States, It’s Still Legal to Spank Children in Public Schools,” nytimes.com, Dec. 13, 2018
- Elizabeth T. Gershoff and Sarah A. Font, “Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools: Prevalence, Disparities in Use, and Status in State and Federal Policy,” Social Policy Report, 2016
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Global Progress,” endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed Nov. 2, 2020)
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Country Report for the USA: State-by-State Analysis of the Legality of Corporal Punishment in the US,” endcorporalpunishment.org, Mar. 2020
- Miguel A. Cardona, “Key Policy Letters Signed by the Education Secretary or Deputy Secretary,” ed.gov, Mar. 24, 2023
- Christopher J. Mehus, and Megan E. Patrick, “Prevalence of Spanking in U.S. National Samples of 35-Year-Old Parents from 1993 to 2017,” jamanetwork.com, July 27, 2020
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, “Global Progress: Corporal punishment in schools,” endcorporalpunishment.org (accessed Dec. 12, 2024)
- Derrick Johnson, “The Striking Outlier: The Persistent, Painful, and Problematic Practice of Corporal Punishment in Schools,” splcenter.org, June 11, 2019
- Jill Anderson, “The Effect of Spanking on the Brain: Spanking found to impact children’s brain response, leading to lasting consequences,” gse.harvard.edu, April 13, 2021
- Aniya Greene-Santos, “Corporal Punishment in Schools Still Legal in Many States,” nea.org, May 20, 2024
- End Corporal Punishment, “Progress,” endcorporalpunishment (accessed Oct. 3, 2025)