corporal punishment

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Pediatricians on Corporal Punishment in Schools: Stop It

Think it achieves behavioral improvement? Think again, AAP says

(Newser) - More than three decades after it first called for the end of corporal punishment in schools, the American Academy of Pediatrics is having to repeat itself amid the ongoing hitting of students. Corporal punishment, defined as "the infliction of pain upon a person's body as punishment," should...

After Vote on School Discipline: 'It's 1880 in Here'

Bill in Oklahoma House on barring corporal punishment against disabled students fails

(Newser) - It was a close vote in the Oklahoma state House this week, but a measure to bar teachers and staff from using corporal punishment against kids with disabilities failed. Despite GOP Rep. John Talley's best efforts to advance HB1028, which would've kept educators from hitting, spanking, paddling, or...

Mom Secretly Recorded Principal Paddling Girl, 6

Corporal punishment is banned in Florida district

(Newser) - A 6-year-old girl in Florida got in trouble last month for damaging a computer screen at school—but the principal who paddled her could be in deeper trouble. The district superintendent and the Clewiston Police Department say they are looking into the paddling, which was secretly recorded by the girl'...

In the UK, a First on Child Discipline

Scotland bans smacking children

(Newser) - In Scotland, adults are more protected against assault than children are, as parents and caregivers are allowed to use "reasonable" physical force for disciplinary purposes. That's about to change: On Thursday, the country's Parliament voted 84-29 to ban all physical punishment for kids, including spanking, slapping, smacking,...

Pediatrics Group to Parents: No Spanking, Yelling

AAP comes out with a much stronger policy statement against 'aversive' discipline

(Newser) - It's been two decades since the American Academy of Pediatrics issued an official stance about discipline, and in that time, the group's opinion has changed quite a bit. Its 1998 guidance recommended that "parents be encouraged and assisted in developing methods other than spanking in response to...

Georgia Charter School Is Bringing Back Paddling

'In this school, we take discipline very seriously'

(Newser) - The Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics says there is now "one more tool that we have in our disciplinary toolbox"—a paddle to hit misbehaving children with. The K-9 charter school in Hephzibah says it is bringing back paddling as a form of punishment, though it...

He Walked Out of School in Protest. Then, 2 'Swats'

Arkansas students' punishment for participating in gun violence protest is making headlines

(Newser) - Three students were punished for walking out of their Arkansas school Wednesday during the national protest against gun violence , and their punishment is now in the spotlight. Per ArkansasMatters.com , the Greenbrier Public Schools superintendent says the students never gave a heads-up so their school could prep for their demonstration,...

Education Chief to Schools: Stop Hitting Kids

John King says corporal punishment is 'harmful,' 'ineffective'

(Newser) - Education Secretary John King has a message for states where physical discipline is permitted in schools, per USA Today : Quit it. In a letter to governors and state school chiefs, King says 22 states—mostly in the South and West—still allow corporal punishment or don't forbid it. He...

Viral Images of Girl Being Disciplined Spark Debate

Man seen pulling girl by hair in Walmart

(Newser) - A man in Texas is being investigated after several Walmart shoppers spotted him pulling a girl by a section of her hair held against his shopping cart. Shoppers Erika and Robert Burch say they asked him to stop, and when he told them to mind their own business they took...

Alabama Paddled 19K Students in One School Year

Many local educators still support the practice that others say is harmful

(Newser) - An old-school form of discipline remains popular in Alabama. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has found that almost 19,000 children—2.5% of the state's students—got paddled in public schools during the 2013-2014 school year, reports AL.com . Boys get hit more than girls,...

Researchers Analyze 50 Years of Spanking Studies

It can lead to everything from antisocial behavior to mental illness

(Newser) - Not only is spanking ineffective when it comes to disciplining children, it can actually lead to everything from mental health problems to aggression. That's according to a new study published in the Journal of Family Psychology in which researchers looked at 50 years of prior research on nearly 161,...

Pope's Sex Abuse Commission on Spanking Remarks: Um, No

Commission will recommend Francis revise his remarks

(Newser) - Members of Pope Francis' sex abuse commission have criticized his remarks that it is OK for parents to spank their children , saying there is no place for physical discipline and that the commission would be making recommendations to him about protecting kids from corporal punishment. The commission met with its...

Pope: OK to Smack Kid, but Avoid Face

Francis speaks frankly on corporal punishment of children

(Newser) - It's OK to spank your child as long as you preserve the child's "dignity" and don't touch the face, according to Pope Francis. "One time, I heard a father say, 'I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face...

Florida Cop Supervises Child's Spanking

Father asked officer to watch him paddle girl, 12

(Newser) - Spanking children has been outlawed in dozens of countries, but it's still legal in all 50 states—and in Florida, you can apparently request a police presence. Police in Okeechobee County say father Dale Garcia asked a deputy to stand by and make sure he was obeying the law...

It's 'Perfectly Legal' to Beat Your Kids

Mark Joseph Stern on why Adrian Peterson probably won't go to jail

(Newser) - Adrian Peterson has been accused of child abuse , then quickly reinstated , and don't expect him to go to prison, writes Mark Joseph Stern on Slate , because "in much of the United States, beating your own children—even to the point of bodily harm—is perfectly legal." Corporal...

UK Children's Official: Ban All Parental Smacks

Maggie Atkinson says it's strange that pets get stronger protection

(Newser) - Britain's official in charge of children's welfare may have just launched a national debate on the nanny state. Maggie Atkinson tells the Independent that she thinks parents should face criminal punishment for even mild smacks of their kids. The quote roiling up the British press:
  • “Personally, having
...

Texas Lawmaker to Schools: Put the Paddles Away

Legislator's bill would outlaw all forms of corporal punishment

(Newser) - A principal-turned-lawmaker is trying to outlaw paddling, spanking, and all other forms of corporal punishment in Texas schools. Legislator Alma Allen's bill would make it illegal for school district employees to get physical to enforce discipline, reports the Houston Chronicle . Many of the state's big cities already ban...

School Weighs Rule Backing Paddling of Girls by Men

Texas district considering dumping 'same sex' limits on meting out corporal punishment

(Newser) - The Texas school where a mom freaked after her teenage daughter was paddled until her butt was red and "blistered" by a male vice principal now wants to reconsider the policy. But get this: Officials are aiming to change the rules to make it officially OK for a male...

School Lets Man Spank Teen Girl, Mom Freaks

Anna Jorgensen says she 'came unglued'

(Newser) - Letting her daughter be spanked with a paddle for having shared homework with a classmate? Not a problem for one Texas mom. But knowing that a man administered the punishment, and left her daughter's backside bruised, does upset her—and the mother has school policy on her side, because...

Spanking Can Hurt Future Mental Health
 Spanking Can 
 Hurt Future 
 Mental Health 
study says
Jul 2, 2012 5:17 AM CDT

Spanking Can Hurt Future Mental Health

Kids should never face corporal punishment: researcher

(Newser) - Your adult woes really could be mom and dad's fault, assuming they spanked you. A new study points to a "significant link" between corporal punishment of children and a higher risk of adult mental health issues. In a review of government data on 35,000 adults, the study...

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