Twenty-Two States in the U.S. allow Corporal Punishment in school. Every industrialized country in the world now prohibits school corporal punishment, except the U.S.
and Australia (Outback regions only).Plano TX School Board set to ban corporal punishment January 16 2006. One of the nation's largest school districts is voting to ban corporal punishment. The district schools had not used corporal punishment in some time.
"It's important to get it off the books," said Nadine Block, Director of the Center for Effective Discipline, a non-profit organization which provides information about effects of corporal punishment and alternatives. "Even if corporal punishment is not used in practice, it is important to reflect that in policy, she said, Otherwise, practice could easily change with new administrators." (Dallas Morning News, January 16). For further information, contact info@stophitting.
org.The fact remains, corporal punishment causes emotional as well as physical damage, which if not resolved through a healing process specifically focused on the aftereffects of physical violence, the damage continues to plague the person for a lifetime. Hitting, paddling, smacking, whacking, bopping, or any form of physical assault against a child is violence, because the act violates the child's sacred body boundaries.
Furthermore, when a parent or other authority figure, whom the child is totally dependent on, uses corporal punishment, the child is betrayed in the worst way possible. "I love you, therefore, I hit you," "I am doing it for your own good," is hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy because love/concern and hitting (hurting) can not co-exist simultaneously. It is hypocrisy because the same act against an adult is considered assault and battery and the perpetrator is subject to arrest and possible jail sentence.
Why then, when so much is at stake, do we assault our children when we protect adults from the same violent act? The answer is quite simple.Dr. Frank Putnam of the National Institute of Mental Health and Dr.
Martin Teicher of Harvard Medical School studied 170 girls, 6-15 years old?half had experienced corporal punishment, half had not?for seven years. The girls who experienced corporal punishment had symptoms such as abnormally high stress hormones, which can kill neurons in brain areas crucial for thinking and memory, and high levels of an antibody that weakens the immune system.Teicher completed a series of brain studies on 402 children and adults, many of whom experienced corporal punishment. His findings revealed that corporal punishment creates arrested growth of the left hemisphere of the brain which can hamper development of language and logic and arrested growth of the right hemisphere of the brain (the site for emotions) at an abnormally early age.The AMA and APA ignore these studies. Why do the AMA and APA ignore these studies and other noted researchers' work?for example: Judith Herman, M.
D? The answer lies within the denial theory?if we don't believe it, it can't hurt us. The irony is "Facts do no cease to exist because they are ignored," and the tragic results follow.The tragic results are:.? Children whose parents or other authority figures use corporal punishment to correct unacceptable behavior show more antisocial behavior over a long period of time, regardless of race and socioeconomic status, and regardless of whether the mother provides cognitive stimulation and emotional support (Gunnoe & Mariner, 1997; Kazdin, 1987; Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989; Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997).? Adults who were hit as children are more likely to be depressed or violent themselves (Berkowitz, 1993; Strassberg, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1994; Straus, 1994; Straus & Gelles, 1990; Straus & Kantor, 1992).? The more a child is hit, the more likely the child, when an adult, will hit his or her children, spouse, or friends (Julian & McKenry, 1993; Straus, 1991; Straus, 1994; Straus & Gelles, 1990; Straus & Kantor, 1992; Widom, 1989; Wolfe, 1987).
? Corporal punishment increases the probability of children assaulting the parent in retaliation, when they are older (Brezina, 1998).? Corporal punishment sends a message that violence is a viable option for solving problems (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980; Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997).? Corporal punishment is degrading, contributes to feelings of helplessness and humiliation, robs a child of self-worth and self-respect, and can lead to withdrawal, aggression, mental and physical dysfunctions (Sternberg et al., 1993; Straus, 1994).? Corporal punishment destroys trust between parent and child, and increases the risk of child abuse; as a discipline measure, it simply does not decrease children's aggressive or delinquent behaviors (Straus, 1994).? Children who are spanked regularly are more likely over time to cheat or lie, be disobedient at school, bully others, and show less remorse for wrongdoing (Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997).
? Corporal punishment adversely affects children's cognitive development. Children who are spanked perform poorly on school tasks compared to other children (Straus & Mathur, 1995; Straus & Paschall, 1998).If your state allows paddling in schools, I urge you to do what YOU can to pass a bill in your state to prevent legalized child abuse. See photo of paddled Texas school boy at http://www.nospankingzone.org.
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ALABAMA
Office of the Superintendent of Education
Alabama Department of Education
Gordon Persons Office Building
50 North Ripley Street
P.O. Box 302102
Montgomery, AL 36130-2101
Tel.: (334) 242-9702 FAX: (334) 242-9708
www.alsde.edu.
ARIZONA
Office of the Director
Arizona Department of Education
State Capitol
1700 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Tel.: (602) 542-5460 FAX(602) 542-5440
www.
ade.state.az.us.
ARKANSAS
Office of the Director
Arkansas Department of Education
Four State Capitol Mall, Room 304 A
Little Rock, AR 72201-1071
Tel.: (501) 682-4204 FAX: (501) 682 1079
www.arkedu.state.ar.us.
COLORADO
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Colorado Department of Education
201 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80203-1799
Tel.: (303) 866-6808 FAX: (303) 866-6938
www.cde.state.co.us.
FLORIDA
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Florida Department of Education
Capitol Building, Room PL 08
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Tel.: (904) 487-1785 FAX: (904)488-1492
www.firn.edu.
GEORGIA
Office of the State Superintendent of Schools
Twin Towers East
Atlanta, GA 30334-5001
Tel.: (404) 657-0516
www.doe.k12.ga.
us/index.asp.IDAHO
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Idaho Department of Education
Len B.
Jordan Office Building
650 West State Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720
Tel.: (208) 334-3300 FAX: (208) 334-2228
www.sde.state.
id.us.INDIANA
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Indiana Department of Education
State House, Room 229
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798
Tel.: (317) 232-6665 FAX: (317) 232-8004
www.ideanet.doe.
state.in.us.KANSAS
Office of the Commissioner of Education
120 South East Tenth Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1182
Tel.: (913) 296-3202 FAX: (913) 296-7933
www.ksbe.
state.ks.us.KENTUCKY
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Kentucky Department of Education
Capitol Plaza Tower - 500 Mero Street
Frankfort, KY 40601
Tel.: (502) 564-3141 FAX: (502) 564-5680
www.
kde.state.ky.us.LOUISIANA
Office of the Superintendent of Education
Louisiana Department of Education
626 North 4th Street, 12th Floor
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
Tel.: (504) 342-3602 FAX: (504) 342-7316
www.
doe.state.la.
us/DOE/asps/home.asp.MISSISSIPPI
Office of the Superintendent of Education
State Department of Education
550 High Street, Room 501
Jackson, MS 39201
Tel.: (601) 359-3512 FAX: (601) 359-3242
www.state.ms.
us.MISSOURI
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Missouri Department of Elementary
& Secondary Education
205 Jefferson Street, 6th Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Tel.: (572) 751-4446 FAX: (573) 751-1179
www.dese.
state.mo.us/.NEW MEXICO
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
New Mexico Department of Education
Education Building
300 Don Gaspar
Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786
Tel.: (505) 827-6688 FAX: (505) 827-6520
www.
sde.state.nm.us/.NORTH CAROLINA
Office of the State Superintendent of Public Education
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Education Building
301 North Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
Tel.: (919) 715-1277 FAX: (919) 715-1278
www.
dpi.state.nc.
us/.OHIO
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Ohio Department of Education
65 South Front Street, Room 810
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
Tel.: (614) 466-3304 FAX: (614) 644-5960
www.ode.
state.oh.us.
OKLAHOMA
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Hodge Education Building
2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599
Tel.: (405) 521-4887 FAX: (405) 421-6205
www.sde.
state.ok.us/.
PENNSYLVANIA
Office of the Secretary of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street. 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Tel.: (717) 787-5820 FAX (717) 787-7222
www.pde.
psu.edu/.SOUTH CAROLINA
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
South Carolina Department of Education
1006 Rutledge Building
1429 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Tel.
: (803) 734-8492 FAX: (803) 734-4426
www.state.sc.us/edu/k-12les.
html.TENNESSEE
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Tennessee Department of Education
Sixth Floor, Gateway Plaza
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0375
Tel.: (615) 741-2731 FAX: (615) 741-6236
www.
state.tn.us/education/.TEXAS
Office of the Commissioner of Education
Office of the Texas Education Agency
William B. Travis Building
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-1494
Tel.
: (512) 463-5825 FAX: (512) 463-9008
www.state.tx.
us/Education/.WYOMING
Office of the State Department of Public Instruction
Wyoming Department of Education
2300 Capitol Avenue, 2nd Floor
Hathaway Building
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050
Tel.: (307) 777-7675 FAX: (307) 777-6234
www.
k12.wy.us/.
.Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD author, If I'd Only Known.Sexual Abuse in or out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention is noted for her pioneering work in verbal, physical and sexual abuse prevention and recovery. http://www.gen-assist.
com.
By: Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD
