Abstract In the United States, children have a right to equal educational opportunities, supported by safe school environments. Corporal punishment (CP) undermines student safety, harming child development and disproportionately affecting marginalized students. This study provides an up-to-date review of state statutes related to CP in U.S. public schools. The review identifies states with legal bans on CP, states that allow force by school personnel to maintain order, and states with trauma-informed education policies that also allow CP. The authors conducted a systematic review of legislation across all states and the District of Columbia. Legal statutes were accessed from government websites, and trauma-informed education policies were reviewed using National Association of State Boards of Education data. The review identified 18 states that permit CP in public schools, with 15 explicitly allowing it. Among the 32 states that ban CP, 10 allow force for maintaining order. All 18 states permitting CP have at least one trauma-informed education policy mandate. Findings indicate that despite evidence of CP’s negative impacts, over a third of states lack legal bans. Inconsistent legislation and contradictory policies undermine student safety. Policymakers must eliminate CP and resolve legal inconsistencies to ensure safe educational environments for students.
Samarah et al. (Tue,) studied this question.