American School District reintroduces caning to students

Long abolished in Europe, caning is making a comeback in American schools. In the school district of Cassville, a small town in the US state of Missouri, teachers will once again be able to use a wooden paddle (carpet beater) to punish children and youth starting in the 2022/23 school year. However, only under certain conditions and with parental consent, such as the US media, including Washington Post to report.

The reuse of caning, commonly known as “spanking,” was voted on in June, and the majority of parents, students and teachers surveyed supported it. However, the wooden paddle may be used “in a reasonable manner” only after other disciplinary action has already been taken.

Light blows to the buttocks

According to this policy, a wooden paddle may not be hit on the buttocks with “reasonable force” and in the presence of a witness without causing injury. Younger children should receive one or two hits, while older students receive up to three hits. Slaps in the face or blows to the head are still prohibited. According to media reports, the new regulation was met with heavy criticism from youth protection organizations across the country.

Legal caning in 19 states

In the United States, caning was abolished in most schools in the 1970s, but “battering” is generally permitted in 19 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Wyoming. According to the Supreme Court, the use of physical force does not constitute a violation of the constitutional provision on the reasonableness of punishment.

Such as Washington Post It was also reported that, according to the latest data from 2017/2018, more than 69,000 children and youth were physically punished across the country. Mississippi had the most cases with more than 20,000 cases, followed by Texas with about 14,000 cases and Alabama with more than 9,000. In Missouri, nearly 2,500 students were hit.