School corporal punishment is still legal in 15 states : NPR

Key Points:

• Corporal punishment in U.S. public schools, such as paddling, remains legal in 15 states mostly in the South, with nearly 32,000 reported incidents in the 2021-22 school year, despite broad psychological consensus on its harm to children.
• Tessa Davis shared her personal story of regret after her son was paddled in school, noting the punishment increased his fear and anxiety about attending school and did not improve his behavior.
• Research links corporal punishment to negative outcomes including lower self-esteem, increased aggression, anxiety, depression, and future intimate partner violence, while some proponents argue it can be an effective last-resort disciplinary tool.
• In some Southern communities, corporal punishment is culturally and faith-based rooted, complicating efforts to ban it, though advocacy groups and some community members actively push back against physical discipline in schools.
• Some school districts, like Warner Public Schools in Oklahoma, use corporal punishment sparingly with parental consent and emphasize it as a deterrent to keep students in class rather than suspended, while stressing responsible and limited use.