Pediatricians Call for Ban on Spanking in All US Public Schools

A group of pediatricians are advocating for a ban on spanking, hitting, slapping, paddling and other physical forms of corporal punishment in all United States public schools.

In an updated policy released Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), members defined corporal punishment as “the infliction of pain upon a person’s body as punishment.

The organization, an independent forum with approximately 67,000 pediatricians, first released a statement against the practice on the basis of ethical concerns and a lack of evidence regarding its effectiveness in 1991.

Today, 17 states across the United States continue to legally carry on these practices. Corporal punishments are also legal in private schools in the U.S., except for those in Iowa and New Jersey.

In April, Colorado joined 32 other states in legally banning all forms of corporal punishment in public schools as well as in state-licensed child care centers, family child care homes and specialized group facilities, along with requiring jail time for those who broke the law, according to The Denver Post.

Although 96% of public schools in the U.S. report not using such methods for punishment, around 70,000 students are “struck at least once by school personnel during the school year,” reads the AAP statement based on a 2019 U.S. Department of Education report.

Black, disabled kids disproportionately affected

Male Black students and children with disabilities are disproportionately affected by corporal punishments at school compared to students who identify as white, female or those without disabilities, according to the national data reviewed in an AAP statement.

For children of color, this disparity is largely rooted in a behavior termed “adultification bias” according to the AAP. That is because “adults perceive Black youth as being older than they actually are.”

Black boys are twice as likely to face some form of corporal punishment compared to white peers, whereas Black girls are “three times as likely to be struck” as white girls.

As for children with disabilities, the AAP noted that when they were punished for behaviors associated with their specific disability, “they are unjustly and excessively punished and deprived of access to quality education and a safe learning environment.”

Moreover, kids with intellectual disabilities were most likely to be incapable of understanding why they were being punished or the social norms surrounding the consequences of their alleged wrongdoing, by the AAP’s assessment. They were also more likely to not be able to properly communicate such incidents to their parents.

AAP: Corporal punishment causes harm

Based on current data, the AAP strongly states that corporal punishment doesn’t improve behavior among kids. In fact, the organization believes it’s more likely to have the opposite effect — that children are less likely to learn “when they do not feel safe.”

A 2019 survey published in the journal American Psychologist interviewed 803 18- to 23-year-old young adults who had attended high schools that legally practiced corporal punishments. The survey found that 16% reported experiencing punishment at school.

Among them, 82% found those punishments painful and 22% developed bruises or other injuries following such correctional methods. The young adults also reported “lower cumulative high school grade point averages and lower feelings of school belonging.”

The AAP isn’t alone in criticizing physical punishment in school settings. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), corporal punishments can also trigger immediate and long-term psychological and developmental problems.

For instance, WHO states that it could lead to children feeling threatened, and developing stress, pain, sadness, fear, shame and guilt.

AAP pushes for alternative approaches

In the updated policy, the AAP outlines that “​​corporal punishment is not effective as a disciplinary method.”

Instead, for meaningful behavioral change, the AAP urges adult caregivers to “use healthy forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, setting limits, redirecting, and setting future expectations.”

For kids who have been previously subjected to corporal punishments at school, alternative approaches that are age-appropriate, nonviolent and incorporate conflict resolution could help in repairing trust issues between school adults and children and also promote overall well-being, the AAP reiterated.