Although corporal punishment is generally considered outdated, it continues to reign in many states across the country as methods of parenting and teaching. In the 2006-07 school year, more than 200,000 students were physically punished within the confines of what is supposed to be a safe learning environment. Now, middle and high school students are taking their cases to state courts, exasperating those who go by the idiom “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”
Even after domestic violence was criminalized, however, children continued to be beaten at home and school. Modern organizations, such as the Child Rights Information Network and The Center for Effective Discipline, have attempted to publicize legislation that would criminalize those types of punishments in school, but continue to have trouble reaching conservative communities.
It’s ironic that some schools are still unsafe for children when people are encouraged to stand up against violence in other areas such as the workforce, at home and even in prisons. Even with parental consent, proponents of corporal punishment are teaching kids that violence is an adequate response to a problem. It shows teachers and administrators are unwilling to explore other options of communication with students, preferring a quick fix instead.
Parents should be permitted to adopt any parenting style they want but not at the expense of a child’s safety. If states impose stricter guidelines regarding physical punishment in schools, parents will gradually follow suit. In 20 states, schools and parents are enabling one another and creating a devastating cycle. Regardless of the fact that children should never be beaten, effects on coming generations will be even more dire.
States on the east and west coast aren’t entirely plagued with this problem but should still invest in children’s rights organizations to improve living conditions for all. Although the United States has made progress in the last century by guaranteeing young people legal rights, some attitudes have remained stagnantly in favor of the conventional hierarchy. If America wants to remain the leader of the free world, all citizens should be protected and allowed to grow up in the absence of violence.