The use of corporal punishment in North Carolina public schools has fallen substantially the past three years, according to a study released Monday by a child advocacy group.
Students in six districts were hit 184 times in the 2012-2013, Action for Children North Carolina said in a news release. That’s down from 404 instances in the previous year and 891 in the year before that.
Students in Robeson County were hit the most last year, with 141 uses of corporal punishment there, the group said. That represents 76 percent of the total statewide.
Other districts that use corporal punishment are Graham, Swain, Madison, McDowell and Onslow. Action for Children North Carolina said 10 other districts that allow corporal punishment have not used it in years — Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Bladen, Caswell, Macon, Person, Randolph, Stanly and Thomasville.
Local boards in 99 districts prohibit corporal punishment.