Apparently at the request of some parents, the Cassville School District in the US has reinstated corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure for children.
Cassville – According to consistent media reports, caning is being reinstated in the state of Missouri in the United States. Accordingly, starting in the new school year, students in the Cassville school district may be physically punished again if they do not follow the rules.
The reason for the reintroduction were demands from parents, informed the head of the authority, Merlyn Johnson. Parents would have wished that “in the event of indiscipline there would be another option than expulsion from school”. However, the disciplinary measure may only be used if legal guardians give their prior express consent, reported the US newspaper The Hill . The corporal punishment should be done with a wooden paddle, the beatings are given on the buttocks.
USA: Cassville School District introduces caning
“Corporal punishment is used only when other disciplinary measures have failed, and then only when it is appropriate,” Johnson told The Hill . In addition, the school management must approve the punishment beforehand. The leader does not expect this form of punishment to be used frequently. Should it happen, however, at least two responsible persons should be present, but never other children.
There should be no serious physical harm. In addition, according to the regulation, “it is not permitted to hit a student on the head or in the face.” Younger children should be punished with “one or two” hits, said Johnson. In older people it could be up to three strokes.
School in the USA: corporal punishment with parental consent
Caning was abolished in Cassville County in 2001. Now it is reintroduced 21 years later. The new regulation was already decided in June, as reported by The Guardian , among others. On Wednesday (August 24th), the appropriate forms were sent out for the parents’ consent.
Corporal punishment in US schools has been constitutional since 1977. The US Supreme Court left implementation to the individual states. There are currently 19 states that still allow corporal punishment, The Guardian reported.
Corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure alarmed not only parents but also child protectors. “It’s an absolutely horrible practice,” Richard Wexler, director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, was quoted as saying by Der Spiegel . “I don’t think that’s appropriate,” one mother whose children go to Cassville schools told The Hill . The UN sees such a form of punishment as a violation of human rights. (cheese)
