A Missouri school district is going “old school” by bringing back spanking to discipline unruly students.
The Cassville School District issued a new policy that allowed “certified individuals” to “use physical force as a method of correcting student behavior” and in order to maintain “discipline and order in schools.”
The new policy was issued in June and can be viewed in the Missouri School Boards Association Board Policy Manual online. It is unclear in the policy what would make a teacher or staff member “certified” to punish a student.
According to the policy, using physical force to punish a student can only be used as a last resort after all the other methods of discipline have been tried and failed. It also said that a principal must approve or recommend the spanking before it is enforced. Using corporal punishment on children should not be done in front of other students, and it must be administered in the presence of a witness who is an employee of the school.
The policy states that the punishment should not cause injury to the student. Striking the child on their head or face is prohibited.
Under this new policy, the teacher or principal must report to the superintendent and explain the reason for the discipline and present their justification for using the method.
Cassville Superintendent Dr. Merlyn Johnson enacted the policy due to concerns about out-of-control behavior in the classrooms, which is interfering with student learning. The district has discussed many strategies and corporal punishment was one option. He said that he doesn’t think that administrators would choose to use this option often.
Notably, parents must give permission to allow the “certified spanker” to do his job. Parents have the right to choose whether their children can be punished in this way.
The decision is very controversial, and can lead to parents as well as school staff authorizing what many would consider to be physical abuse of children.
Dr. Elise N. Feldman, a licensed psychologist with experience working with children, adolescents, and adults for more than 15 years, told reporters that children’s behavioral problems are indications of emotional distress, and might indicate that children are not getting the emotional support they need at home. When teachers apply aggressive measures, it can increase the child’s distress, which adds to the problem. Corporal punishment not only teaches children that violence is a solution, but also encourages children to hide their feelings and submit to authority, which can make their behavior worse. Feldman said that corporal discipline might create short and long-term problems, especially when children and adolescents are experiencing higher rates of anxiety and depression because of the ongoing pandemic.
Of course, many parents do feel that corporal punishment is the best way to discipline children, in spite of advice from professionals that say that it is detrimental.
The action can open up a “can of worms.” In spite of all the restrictions in the policy and attempts to eliminate physical abuse, it is easy to see how the situation could get out of hand.
Apparently, this is nothing new in the United States. It has been reported that 19 states already allow corporal punishment, according to a 2018 study, which means that about 160,000 students in the US are already subjected to physical punishment during the school year.
