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Issue Brief: 60 N.C. School Districts Still Allow Corporal Punishment
 
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 09:29 AM 
 
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By NBC17
E-mail | Biography



RALEIGH, N.C. -- In an issue brief released today by Action For Children North Carolina, N.C. is the only state that does not monitor the administration of corporal punishment.

Your Opinion: Should Corporal Punishment Continue In Schools?
 
North Carolina is one of 21 states that allow corporal punishment in public schools.
 
"Action for Children was surprised to learn that the State Board of Education does not require reports from local school districts on how many times students were struck by school staff," said Barbara Bradley, President and CEO of Action for Children. "The State Board does not collect local policies, so no one knows how many local districts still allow corporal punishment."
 
Action for Children and students at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Social Work completed a survey of corporal punishment policies from all 115 school districts in the state. The findings, published in an issue brief entitled Fact or Fiction: Corporal Punishment in North Carolina Public Schools include:
  • 60 districts still permit corporal punishment
  • 55 districts ban it, and the number grows each year
  • 70-80 percent of public school students are not subject to corporal punishment
 
The study also finds that 25 of the local school districts that allow corporal punishment had no definition in their policies and the other 35 districts have unclear definitions.
 
"Are hands used? Paddles? This means that the administration of corporal punishment is most often left to the 'discretion' of school principals," said Tom Vitaglione, Senior Fellow of Health and Safety at Action for Children.
 
Other findings in the brief include:
  • 7 districts clearly prescribe paddling on the buttocks, and an additional 14 districts allow both spanking by hand as well as paddling.
  • Several policies specifically prohibit shaking as well as slapping of the face or head. There is one reminder to avoid using a whip, rod or belt.
  • 23 districts require principals to report the occurrence of corporal punishment to the superintendent's office. Thus, there is no check on the principal's "discretion" with regard to corporal punishment.
  • None of the policies reviewed require training for school personnel who administer corporal punishment
  • 7 districts have policies that require specific written parental permission to hit their child. In all other districts, parents are notified only after the fact.
 
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