Spanking Kids in School Still Common, Especially Among Disabled

[The Straight Story]

Spanking Kids in School Still Common, Especially Among Disabled

Spanking kids in school has gone the way of the buggy whip – right?

Wrong, based on a new study by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, as reported here and here. More than 200,000 U.S. schoolchildren were subjected to corporal punishment during the 2006-2007 school year, the study shows. And the South has a big lead in whacking schoolkids, with Texas, Mississippi and Alabama holding the top three spots.

Paddlings in school are still legal in 20 states, and the report suggests they are quite common, based on 202 interviews with parents, teachers, students and school officials, plus federal Education Department data. The courts haven’t afforded students in classrooms the same protection as criminals have against cruel and unusual punishment.

Many pediatricians now advise against corporal punishment; some research suggests spanking makes behavior problems worse. And while I admit to having harbored now and then a fleeting wish that my kids’ teachers could smack fellow students whose behavior disrupted class, I never would seriously advocate such a thing.

In the saddest finding of the ACLU study, children with disabilities, especially autism, drew corporal punishment at a far higher rate than others, the study found. Children with autism were often punished for behaviors linked to the condition, because teachers lacked the knowledge, training or patience to use other methods of behavior control.

http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/09/01/spanking-kids-in-school-still-common-especially-among-disabled/

[corpseratemedia]

1. I remember a ghastly lady in my religious preschool

who used to focus on me and at least two occasions spanked me. I remember I would be playing and she would rip my arm to pull me and HIT me several times "back there". It was like being punched, she really used her strength to vent. My mother, who did not spank, asked her to stop spanking me and just notify her if she had a problem.

I never connected why she focused on me and whatever my 4 yr old behavior did to make her do that. All I remember is that she was a very, very ugly woman who could never be as beautiful as my young mother.

Parents know a kid's not going to "get it," it s just a sadistic way for unfulfilled adults to vent and it's all about the person doing the spanking. What a miserable excuse for a person.

[fasttense]

2. I volunteer as a surrogate parent for educational needs for foster children

here in TN. It's a strange title "surrogate" but it merely means I stand in as a parent for children who are new in a Foster home and whose parents no longer have custody. I act as a disinterest party looking out for the child's welfare. It's volunteer work.

You would be surprised how many times teachers have asked to spank the children. I never agree to it. A child who is under severe emotional stress doesn't need a beating. And it's amazing how often we are able to work out another form of behavior control with no hitting.

[Odin2005]

3. I was one of those abused autistic kids.

The physical punishment was justified with the "threat to himself" crap. :puke:

[ampad]

4. WOW, good ol US of A

I will never understand spanking, never. There is so much research out there about the harm and risk of spanking. With so many behavioral modification techniques to utilize there is no reason to spank. I will never understand it. What type of person spanks a handicap child?