N.Y. lawmakers aim to prevent corporal punishment

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Resource connection New York state lawmakers have introduced a bill to prohibit corporal punishment in the state’s public and private schools. The bill is a response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows parents to use reasonable force to discipline their children.

The proposed legislation aims to prohibit the use of physical punishment in all schools, including public, private and charter. Under the bill, teachers or staff would be prohibited from engaging in or authorizing corporal punishment against any student. Schools would be required to include language in any student code of conduct strongly condemning physical punishment and stating that corporal punishment is prohibited. The bill also requires alternative strategies, such as positive reinforcement and restorative justice, to be utilized in place of physical discipline.

This move is part of a larger trend across the nation to end corporal punishment in schools. A 2016 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project shows that 27 states still allow corporal punishment in some form. And according to researchers, although the number of paddling schools have decreased across the country, children in the southern states are especially at risk of being subjected to this practice in their schools.

Proponents of the bill are hopeful that it will bring an end to the harmful practice of corporal punishment, both in New York state schools and across the nation. They believe that it is both ineffective and unnecessary; instead, they argue, schools should focus on fostering positive behaviors through the use of positive reinforcement and restorative justice practices. The bill is making its way through the Legislature, and with the support of lawmakers and the public, it could soon become law in New York.