Sept. 7, 2022 – Child development experts expressed dismay that a Missouri school district is reviving paddling as punishment despite overwhelming scientific evidence against it.
“So much research has been done over the years that demonstrates that corporal punishment is harmful to children,” says Allison Jackson, MD, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Cassville Public Schools’ announcement that it would reinstate corporal punishment after a 21-year hiatus amounts to “going backward,” she says.
According to news reports Merlyn Johnson, Cassville Superintendent, said that a survey of students, parents and teachers revealed concern about discipline. Some parents suggested corporal punishment as a solution. However, this is only if other methods have failed and the parents or caregivers agree.
Evidence shows harm
Asked about the district’s decision, groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the American Academy of Family Physicians stressed their long-standing opposition to corporal punishment in schools.
These groups cited decades of research that showed hitting children doesn’t improve their behavior or motivate learning. It can also backfire, causing more aggression, academic problems, and even physical injury.
A 2016 ReportThe Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that students with disabilities, Blacks, and males are disproportionately subject to physical force in American schools. According to the report, corporal punishment is considered an international violation of human right’s.
George Holden, PhD is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, says he was “discouraged, but not surprised” at the district’s revival of corporal punishment. Although corporal punishment has been declining in public schools, 19 states still allow it.
According to the 2016 report, 14% school districts used corporal punishment during the 2011-12 schoolyear. 163,333 students in public school were also subject to the practice. Concentrated in the Southeast, corporal punishment is used. Half of the students in Arkansas and Mississippi are educated at schools that use corporal punishment.
According to the report, corporal punishment is only allowed in two states: New Jersey and Iowa.
Jackson, Holden and other experts believe that mindsets take time to change. People who were raised by parents who beat them might be defensive or dismissive. Some parents and educators believe that physical punishment works because it temporarily interrupts behavior. Neglecting othersAccording to experts, it is.
Move Away From Physical Force
Still, more schools are shifting from letting teachers use corporal punishment and instead are harnessing restorative practices, collaborative problem-solving, and positive behavioral interventions and supports, says Holden, who’s president of the nonprofit U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children.
FredericMedway, PhD is a University of South Carolina professor emeritus of Psychology. He said that physical punishment is now used in many districts as a last resort. This was not the case for decades.
He said that he doesn’t think schools will stop using corporal punishment until the families stop using it.
Doctors can play an important role in intervening with new parents, says Jackson, who leads the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Jackson suggests that doctors talk to new caregivers about their plans for dealing with challenging behavior and provide guidance.
Medway suggests that well-child visits include an assessment of behavior that might lead to discipline action. For example, impulsivity and refusing to follow rules can be addressed with early intervention. Mental healthTreatment and guidance for parents.
An Academy of Pediatrics publication. A disciplined approach to raising healthy children,Discusses alternatives to corporal punishment, and suggests doctors to parents to offer behavior management strategies to their children and refer them to community resources like parenting groups, classes, or other support groups. Mental health services. Academy also offers Tips for parentsOn its website.
Alison Culyba MD, PhD, chair of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine’s Violence Prevention Committee, says health care professionals can “use their voices” to inform local, state, and national policy discussions about the health impacts of corporal punishment on children.
