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August 23, 5:56 PM
Sarah Rigg
A report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union released earlier this month found that nearly a quarter of a million children were subjected to corporal punishment in U.S. public schools during the 2006-2007 academic year. The study also found that disabled students received a disproportionate share of corporal punishment.
The study was based on 202 interviews with parents, students, teachers and administrators, and on supplemental data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Twenty states still allow corporal punishment in public schools. Michigan law prohibits corporal punishment in public schools, but the ban does not extend to private schools in the state. Perhaps the most troubling finding was that in some states– such as Tennessee– disabled students were paddled twice as often as other students. Autistic children are at especially high risk for being paddled because of behaviors related to their condition.
Read more about the study at the Human Rights Watch Web page or read an analysis of the study on Time magazine’s Web site.