SPLC Applauds Re-Introduction of Federal Bill Banning Corporal Punishment in Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA) and Senator Chris Murphy (CT) re-introduced the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act, bicameral legislation to prohibit the practice of corporal punishment in any schools that receive federal funding. The following statement is by Treshika Melvin, senior community advocate for the SPLC Action Fund:

“The SPLC applauds Rep. McEachin and all sponsors of this important piece of legislation aimed at protecting students from physical harm by school staff. If passed, the legislation would provide a sweeping ban on the practice of corporal punishment in any school receiving federal funding.

“Although the practice is illegal in most states, corporal punishment is still permitted in thousands of public schools with the highest concentration in the Southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas -- which account for more than 70 percent of all school-based corporal punishment. And tragically, Black students and students with disabilities are subjected to this violence at disproportionate rates.

“Our schools should be safe and welcoming places for students to learn and thrive. Corporal punishment does not help schools meet these basic objectives and more importantly does not protect students from physical, emotional and psychological injury. It is time to end this antiquated and cruel practice for all public school students.

“We appreciate Rep. McEachin’s leadership on this bill and urge all Congressional members to support its passage.”

In 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies released The Striking Outlier: The Persistent, Painful and Problematic Practice of Corporal Punishment in Schools, which offers the clearest examination to date of corporal punishment in the U.S.