Group seeks ban on corporal punishment in schools, The Sanford Herald (11.30.2011)
RALEIGH — A Raleigh-based advocacy group is calling on the North Carolina State Board of Education to develop a state recommendation on corporal punishment in public schools, in hopes that all local districts across the state will ban the practice of teachers or administrators hitting students as a form of discipline.
Action for Children, a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring that “children are healthy, safe, well-educated and have every opportunity for success,” sent a letter to the State Board of Education dated Nov. 8 asking that the board take a position on corporal punishment.
“What we would like is for the state board to take a look at the literature and finally take a stand,” Action for Children Senior Fellow Tom Vitaglione said. “We just feel that we rely on the state board to make recommendations to improve education for our students. When 91 districts have already decided (corporal punishment) doesn’t help, we think it’s time for the state board to make their own review and make their own recommendation.”
Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties are among the districts that have already banned corporal punishment. According to the board policies of those districts, corporal punishment including spanking, paddling and slapping is strictly prohibited as a form of discipline, and “reasonable force” may only be used to protect oneself or others.
“We do ban it here in Lee County because we feel like there are more appropriate disciplines for children that are more targeted to specific things that they’ve done,” said Johnnye Waller, Lee County Schools director of student resources. “We just feel like corporal punishment isn’t conveying the teaching aspect of discipline. We want to teach our children what the right thing is to do and help them learn from their mistakes.”
North Carolina General Statute 115C-391 leaves the power to ban or allow corporal punishment in the hands of local school boards. According to the statute, students must be informed about what infractions could result in corporal punishment, it cannot be performed in a classroom in front of other students, parents must be notified that corporal punishment has occurred and students with disabilities may not receive corporal punishment if parents have stated in writing that it cannot be performed. The statute also requires local boards to report annually the number of acts of corporal punishment performed.
Ninety-one districts in North Carolina have already banned corporal punishment in schools, but Vitaglione said Action for Children hoped a recommendation from the State Board of Education would prompt the remaining 24 districts to change their policies. Of those 24 districts, Vitaglione said research shows hitting is common in fewer than half.
Thirty-one states and Washington, D.C., have banned corporal punishment.
“It’s fortunate for (North Carolina) students that 22 districts have banned corporal punishment in the last four months,” Vitaglione said. “Any board that reviews the literature would find is it not an effective method of discipline.”
Chatham County Schools Public Information Officer Beth McCullough said alternative methods of discipline in Chatham County Schools can range from a classroom warning to an out-of-school suspension depending on the offense. Parental contact is a key component when addressing any violation of the Student Code of Conduct, she said.
“Like most school districts, Chatham once allowed corporal punishment,” McCullough said. “(The current) policy was adopted May 29, 2007, as part of the board’s overall policy code updates during that school year.”
Vitaglione said Action for Children has not yet received a response from the State Board of Education. Sarah Clark, a public information officer with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, said the state board attorney has not yet seen the letter, and the issue is not on the agenda for the state board’s upcoming meeting.
Action for Children argues that corporal punishment is an ineffective form of discipline that may incite a short-term change in behavior but won’t yield long-term results.
“As more studies are done, most all of them show there are eight or nine outcomes that could happen from corporal punishment, and none of them are good,” Vitaglione said. “The relationship between students and the administration is broken. Trust is not there anymore.”
In lieu of physical discipline, Vitaglione said Action for Children would like to see the districts that currently allow corporal punishment focus instead on Positive Behavior Support, an intervention method that identifies specific reasons for students’ negative behaviors, establishes goals for improvement and reinforces positive behaviors.
“Positive Behavior Support is used in districts across the state, and it’s the one form of discipline the state board has actually recommended,” Vitaglione said. “It’s been shown to improve academics and attendance, so there’s clearly an alternative out there.”
Read more: Sanford Herald – Group seeks ban on corporal punishment in schools