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CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS AND 

ITS EFFECT ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTHY 

FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES 

COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND LABOR 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 15, 2010 

Serial No. 111–55 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor 

( 

Available on the Internet: 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/education/index.html 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR 

GEORGE MILLER, California, Chairman 

Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Vice Chairman 

Donald M. Payne, New Jersey 

Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey 

Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, Virginia 

Lynn C. Woolsey, California 

Rube ́n Hinojosa, Texas 

Carolyn McCarthy, New York 

John F. Tierney, Massachusetts 

Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio 

David Wu, Oregon 

Rush D. Holt, New Jersey 

Susan A. Davis, California 

Rau ́l M. Grijalva, Arizona 

Timothy H. Bishop, New York 

Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania 

David Loebsack, Iowa 

Mazie Hirono, Hawaii 

Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania 

Phil Hare, Illinois 

Yvette D. Clarke, New York 

Joe Courtney, Connecticut 

Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire 

Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio 

Jared Polis, Colorado 

Paul Tonko, New York 

Pedro R. Pierluisi, Puerto Rico 

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, 

Northern Mariana Islands 

Dina Titus, Nevada 

Judy Chu, California 

John Kline, Minnesota, 

Senior Republican Member 

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin 

Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, California 

Peter Hoekstra, Michigan 

Michael N. Castle, Delaware 

Mark E. Souder, Indiana 

Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan 

Judy Biggert, Illinois 

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania 

Joe Wilson, South Carolina 

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington 

Tom Price, Georgia 

Rob Bishop, Utah 

Brett Guthrie, Kentucky 

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana 

Tom McClintock, California 

Duncan Hunter, California 

David P. Roe, Tennessee 

Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania 

Mark Zuckerman, Staff Director 

Barrett Karr, Republican Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTHY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES 

CAROLYN McCARTHY, New York, Chairwoman 

Yvette D. Clarke, New York 

Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, Virginia 

Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire 

Paul Tonko, New York 

Jared Polis, Colorado 

George Miller, California 

Judy Chu, California 

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania, 

Ranking Minority Member 

Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, California 

Brett Guthrie, Kentucky 

David P. Roe, Tennessee 

Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hearing held on April 15, 2010 .............................................................................. 1 

Statement of Members: 

Guthrie, Hon. Brett a Representative in Congress from the State of 

Kentucky ........................................................................................................ 4 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 5 

McCarthy, Hon. Carolyn, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities ................................................................................... 1 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 3 

Additional statements: 

The American Academy of Pediatrics ............................................... 46 

The Dignity in Schools Campaign .................................................... 48 

Sean Faircloth, Executive Director, Secular Coalition for America ..................................................................................................... 51 

Platts, Hon. Todd Russell, Senior Republican Member, Subcommittee 

on Healthy Families and Communities, prepared statement of ............... 5 

Scott, Hon. Robert C. ‘‘Bobby,’’ a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Virginia, questions for the record .................................................. 52 

Statement of Witnesses: 

Frieler, Jana, principal, Overland High School, Aurora, CO; PresidentElect, National Association of Secondary School Principals ...................... 15 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 17 

Responses to questions for the record ..................................................... 53 

Gilbert, Wynell, teacher, Erwin High School, Center Point, AL .................. 20 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 23 

Responses to questions for the record ..................................................... 53 

Greydanus, Dr. Donald E., M.D., professor of pediatrics & human development, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine; pediatrics program director, Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for 

Medical Studies ............................................................................................. 7 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 9 

Responses to questions for the record ..................................................... 59 

Pee, Linda, mother of student who received corporal punishment .............. 25 

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 27 

Additional submissions: 

Responses to questions for the record .............................................. 53 

Prepared statement of the American Civil Liberties Union and 

Human Rights Watch ..................................................................... 55 

‘‘A Violent Education: Corporal Punishment of Children in U.S. 

Public Schools,’’ a report by the ACLU and Human Rights 

Watch, Internet address to ............................................................ 58 

‘‘Impairing Education: Corporal Punishment of Students With 

Disabilities in U.S. Public Schools,’’ a report by the ACLU 

and Human Rights Watch, Internet address to ........................... 58 

(1) 

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS AND 

ITS EFFECT ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS 

Thursday, April 15, 2010 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities 

Committee on Education and Labor 

Washington, DC 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:02 a.m., in room 

2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Carolyn McCarthy 

[chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives McCarthy, Scott, Shea-Porter, Polis, 

Platts, and Guthrie. 

Staff present: Andra Belknap, Press Assistant; Calla Brown, 

Staff Assistant, Education; Jody Calemine, General Counsel; 

Denise Forte, Director of Education Policy; Ruth Friedman, Senior 

Education Policy Advisor (Early Childhood); David Hartzler, Systems Administrator; Sadie Marshall, Chief Clerk; Meredith Regine, 

Junior Legislative Associate, Labor; Alexandria Ruiz, Staff Assistant; Kim Zarish-Becknell, Education Counsel, Subcommittee on 

Healthy Families; Stephanie Arras, Legislative Assistant; Kirk 

Boyle, General Counsel; Allison Dembeck, Professional Staff Member; Alexa Marrero, Communications Director; Brian Newell, Press 

Secretary; Susan Ross, Director of Education and Human Resources Policy; Mandy Schaumburg, Education Policy Counsel; and 

Linda Stevens, Chief Clerk/Assistant to the General Counsel. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY [presiding]. A quorum is present. The 

hearing of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Healthy 

Families and Communities Subcommittee, on ‘‘Corporal Punishment in Schools and Its Effect on Academic Success’’ will come to 

order. Before we begin, I would like everyone to take a moment to 

ensure that your cell phones and your BlackBerries are off. 

I now recognize myself, followed by Mr. Guthrie from Kentucky, 

for an opening statement. 

First, I would like to thank all of our witnesses for being here 

today. We have assembled a very knowledgeable group. They bring 

their personal experience and a wealth of information from research and work in the field. 

Congress has not held a hearing on the use of paddling in schools 

since 1992. Corporal punishment refers to the application of physical pain as a method of behavior change. We are not talking about 

situations where a school official may need to restrain a student, 
2 

nor are we talking about using physical force as a means of protecting members of the school community subject to danger. 

Ohio is the most recent state to ban this practice last summer, 

but corporal punishment is still legal in 20 states. According to 

data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil 

Rights, the use of paddling in schools has dropped each year, but 

there are still hundreds of thousands of students who are paddled. 

The most recent OCR data is from the 2006-2007 school year, 

which indicates that over 223,000 students were paddled in our nation. 

The OCR data also indicates that minority students and students 

with disabilities are paddled at higher rates. The most recent available statistics show that African American students are subjected 

to physical punishment at school at about twice the national rate. 

Schoolchildren with disabilities are also subject to corporal punishment at a disproportionately high rate, approximately twice the 

rate of the general student population in other states. Kindergarten 

through 8th grade students are more likely to be paddled than high 

school students. 

The Department of Education data may be under-counting, since 

they only record how many students are paddled, not how many 

times a student is paddled. So if a particular student is paddled 

multiple times, it counts as one paddling. 

Students are typically hit on their buttocks with a wooden paddle, approximately 15 inches long, between two and four inches 

wide and one-and-a-half inch thick, with a six-inch handle at the 

end. The size of paddles may vary, but I have here a paddle, and 

this is what it looks like. 

This particular paddle was sent to us from a gentleman in Texas, 

Jimmy Dunne, who over 20 years ago started fighting against paddling in school. I thank you for sending that. And as you can see, 

a lot of people, when they think of paddling, they think of the old 

ping-pong paddle, or they think of possibly a paddle with the ball 

in the end and going back and forth. 

When a student is paddled, typically he or she will be told to 

stand with their hands on a desk or a chair, so the student is bent 

over, and the student is paddled on the buttocks. Sometimes 

paddlings occur in an office. Other times it will be more public settings, in full view of the student’s classmates. 

Most students are paddled for minor infractions, violating a dress 

code, being late for school, talking in class or in the hallway, or 

being disrespectful. In some school districts parents can opt-out of 

having their children paddled, but unfortunately, there are reports 

of parents’ wishes being ignored, which can be very hard to prove. 

As we will hear today, researchers, principals and teachers say 

paddling is not an effective discipline tactic. Paddling can cause immediate pain, lasting physical injury, and ongoing mental distress. 

We will also hear that paddling causes lower school achievement, 

antisocial behavior, and a tendency for school avoidance, and school 

dropout. 

In our committee we spend a great deal of time talking about the 

best ways to help our students achieve better success in. How can 

we talk about safety in schools and not bring sanctioned hitting of 

our students into the conversation? 
3 

The leading Supreme Court case on corporal punishment in 

schools is the Ingraham case, which was decided over 30 years ago. 

This was at a time when only two states had banned corporal punishment and when the social science disfavoring corporal punishment was not as compelling as it is today. 

The federal government has outlawed physical punishment in 

prisons, jails and medical facilities, yet our children sitting in a 

classroom are targets for getting hit. We know safe, effective, evidence-based strategies are available to support children who display challenging behaviors in school settings. 

Hitting children in school does not help them achieve academic 

success. Hitting children in schools is not an effective discipline 

tactic. Hitting children in school does not make them feel safe in 

school. Instead, they feel humiliated, helpless, depressed, and 

angry. Hitting children teaches them that it is not a legitimate way 

to handle conflict. 

We are adults. We shouldn’t be hitting kids in schools. Instead, 

we, as a nation, should move toward these positive strategies when 

it comes to our school children. It has been 150 years since the first 

state banned this practice in schools. Since then, 29 states have 

done the same, but it is still occurring every day in our nation, and 

we still have hundreds of thousands of students being hit in our 

schools today. 

Soon I will introduce legislation on this issue to end paddling in 

schools, which I will urge my colleagues to support. I look forward 

to hearing from our witnesses. 

Now I would like to recognize Mr. Guthrie from Kentucky for his 

opening statement. 

Mr. Guthrie? 

[The statement of Mrs. McCarthy follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Hon. Carolyn McCarthy, Chairwoman, 

Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities 

First, I would like to thank all of our witnesses for being here today. 

We have assembled a very knowledgeable panel. 

They bring their personal experiences and a wealth of information from research 

and work in the field. 

Congress has not held a hearing on the use of paddling in schools since 1992. 

Corporal punishment refers to the application of physical pain as a method of behavior change. 

We are NOT talking about situations where a school official may need to restrain 

a student. 

Nor are we talking about using physical force as a means of protecting members 

of the school community subject to danger. 

Ohio is the most recent state to ban this practice last summer, but corporal punishment is still legal in 20 states. 

According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil 

Rights the use of paddling in schools has dropped each year, but there are still hundreds of thousands of students who are paddled. 

The most recent OCR data is from the 2006-2007 school year, which indicates that 

over 223,000 students were paddled in our nation. 

The OCR data also indicates that minority students, and students with disabilities are paddled at higher rates. 

The most recent available statistics show that African American students are subjected to physical punishment at school at about twice the national rate. 

Schoolchildren with disabilities are also subjected to corporal punishment at disproportionately high rates, approximately twice the rate of the general student population in some States. 

Kindergarten through 8th grade students are more likely to be paddled than high 

school students. 
4 

The Department of Education data may be under counting since they only record 

how many students are paddled, not how many times a student is paddled. 

So if a particular student is paddled multiple times, it counts as one paddling. 

Students are typically hit on their buttocks with a wooden paddle, approximately 

15 inches long, between two and four inches wide, and one-half inch thick, with a 

six-inch handle at one end. 

The size of paddles can vary, but I have one here and this is what they look like. 

When a student is paddled, typically he or she will be told to stand with their 

hands on a desk or a chair, so that the student is bent over, and the student is 

paddled on the buttocks. 

Sometimes paddlings occur in an office other times it will be a more public setting, in full view of the student’s classmates. 

Most students are paddled for minor infractions, violating a dress code, being late 

for school, talking in class or in the hallway, or being ‘‘disrespectful.’’ 

In some school districts parents can ‘‘opt-out’’ of having their children paddled, 

but unfortunately, there are reports of parents’ wishes being ignored which can be 

very hard to prove. As we will hear today, researchers, principals and teachers say 

paddling is not an effective discipline tactic. 

Paddling can cause immediate pain, lasting physical injury, and on-going mental 

distress. 

We will also hear that paddling causes lower school achievement, antisocial behavior, tendency for school avoidance, and school dropout. 

In our Committee we spend a great deal of our time talking about the best ways 

to help our students achieve better success in schools and this practice is not one 

of them. 

How can we talk about safety in schools and not bring sanctioned hitting of our 

students into the conversation? 

The leading Supreme Court case on corporal punishment in schools is the 

Ingraham case which was decided over 30 years ago. 

This was at a time when only two states had banned corporal punishment, and 

when the social science disfavoring corporal punishment was not as compelling as 

it is today. 

The federal government has outlawed physical punishment in prisons, jails and 

medical facilities. 

Yet our children sitting in a classroom are targets for hitting. 

We know safe, effective, evidence-based strategies are available to support children who display challenging behaviors in school settings. 

Hitting children in school does not help them achieve academic success. 

Hitting children in school is not an effective discipline tactic. 

Hitting children in school does not make them feel safe in school. 

Instead, they feel humiliated, helpless, depressed, and angry. 

Hitting children teaches them that it is a legitimate way to handle conflict. 

We are adults. 

We shouldn’t be hitting kids in schools. 

Instead, we, as a nation, should move toward these positive strategies when it 

comes to our school children. 

It has been a hundred and fifty years since the first state banned this practice 

in schools. 

Since then, 29 states have done the same. 

But it is still occurring every day in our nation and we still have hundreds of 

thousands of students being hit in our schools. 

Soon I will introduce legislation on this issue to end paddling in schools which 

I will urge my colleagues to support. 

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Thank you, Madam Chair, and good morning. 

We are here today to examine corporal punishment in schools 

and its effect on academic success. We will look not only at questions of how corporal punishment is currently used in some states 

and schools, but also broader issues such as the definition of what 

constitutes corporal punishment. 

We have a distinguished panel of witnesses. And I believe Center 

Point—I was born near Center Star, Alabama, but I am not sure 

exactly where Center Point is—probably the center of the state, but 

I saw that looking forward to the hearing in my birth state. We 
5 

have a distinguished panel of witnesses here today and help for the 

discussion. 

And Representative Platts couldn’t be here today. He is the ranking member of the subcommittee. He will be inserting his full opening statement into the record. 

And with that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and 

the testimony examining these issues more closely, and thank you. 

And I yield back. 

[The statement of Mr. Guthrie follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Hon. Brett Guthrie, a Representative in Congress 

From the State of Kentucky 

Thank you Madam Chair, and good morning. We’re here today to examine corporal punishment in schools and its effect on academic success. We’ll look not only 

at questions of how corporal punishment is currently used in some states and 

schools, but also broader issues such as the definition of what constitutes corporal 

punishment. 

We have a distinguished panel of witnesses here today to help inform the discussion, and I thank them for joining us. Rep. Platts, the Ranking Member of this subcommittee, will be inserting his full opening statement into the hearing record. With 

that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and examining these issues more 

closely. Thank you, and I yield back. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Mr. Guthrie. 

Pursuant to committee rule 7C, any member may submit an 

opening statement in writing at this time, which will be made part 

of the permanent record. Without objection, all members will have 

14 days to submit additional materials or questions for the hearing 

record. 

[The statement of Mr. Platts follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Hon. Todd Russell Platts, Ranking Member, 

Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities 

Good morning and welcome to our hearing. Today we will bring together experts 

to discuss the effects of corporal punishment on students’ academic success. 

When parents send their children off to school in the morning, we do so with the 

expectation that they will be in a safe environment and disciplined in a manner that 

is conducive to emotional and academic growth and achievement. Most of us can 

agree that corporal punishment—broadly defined as any punishment in which physical force is used to cause some degree of pain and discomfort—does not have a place 

in our schools. 

The majority of states have recognized this, including my home state of Pennsylvania, and have banned the practice of corporal punishment in schools. These policies have been highly successful in the dramatic decrease of corporal punishment 

instances in our Nation’s schools. The voluntary implementation of a ban in thirty 

states has resulted in an 85% decrease in the number of students who experience 

some degree of corporal punishment. 

As is always central to our work on this subcommittee, it is important that we 

understand the academic influence of corporal punishment. Given the limited research on its effects on a student’s academic performance, I very much look forward 

to hearing our witnesses’ testimonies today. Thank you, Chairwoman McCarthy. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. I would like to briefly introduce our 

very distinguished panel of witnesses here with us this morning. 

The complete bios of the witnesses will be inserted into the record. 

Today we will hear from four witnesses. 

And I want to thank you all again for traveling from all parts 

of the country to be with us here today. 
6 

In the interest of time, given the large number of witnesses 

today, I will keep my formal introductions short. Our first witness 

is Dr. Donald Greydanus. 

He is a professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and director of 

the pediatrics residency program at Michigan State University. He 

received an M.D. degree from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a fellowship in adolescent medicine from 

New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital 

Center. 

He has published extensively on adolescent health and has 35 

years of clinical and research work in caring for children and adolescents. In 2010 he received the Outstanding Achievement in Adolescent Medicine Award from the Society for Adolescent Medicine 

as a leading force in the field of adolescent medicine and health. 

Welcome, Doctor. 

Our next witness is Jana Frieler. 

Mr. Polis from Colorado will introduce this witness. 

Mr. POLIS. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

It is my honor to introduce Jana Frieler. Jana Frieler has been 

in education for 23 years, including 14 years as a school administrator. She is currently the principal of Overland High School in 

Aurora, Colorado, where she has served since 2005. She is the 

daughter of a high school principal, and she followed her father’s 

footsteps and received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and secondary education from the University of Northern Colorado and a 

master’s degree in instructional leadership from Colorado State 

University. 

Since becoming a principal, Frieler has been recognized frequently for her outstanding leadership, and she earned the title of 

Colorado’s Assistant Principal of the Year in 1999. In February of 

2009, She became president-elect of the National Association of 

Secondary School Principals. That is for next year. Frieler has been 

a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals since 1996 and has served on several committees for them 

since she joined their board of directors in 2005. She is also on the 

board of the Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals 

for 10 years. 

Yield back. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Mr. Polis. 

Our next witness is Ms. Wynell Gilbert. Ms. Gilbert received her 

B.S. degree in biology from Alabama A&M University in 1997, her 

M.S. degree in biology education from Alabama State University in 

2002, and her educational leadership certification from Samford 

University in 2008. She is a national board certified teacher in the 

area of adolescent and young adult science. She is currently a high 

school teacher at Erwin High School at Center Point, Alabama, and 

has taught in the Jefferson County school district for 12 years. 

She is a national trainer for education research and dissemination, in which she has been given the opportunity to train teachers 

on using effective teaching strategies to improve student learning. 

Currently, she serves on the executive board of the Jefferson County American Federation of Teachers. 

Our final witness—— 
7 

Welcome. 

Our final witness is Ms. Linda Pee. She is from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is a parent of a daughter who was paddled in school. 

She will discuss her experiences with the paddling system in 

schools. 

I want to say welcome to all of you, and I thank you for that. 

For those of you who have not testified before Congress, let me explain the lighting system. When you start speaking, a green light 

will go on. When you have a minute left, a yellow light will go on. 

When the red light goes on, we ask you to finish up your thought 

or answer to a question. And please be certain as you testify, to 

turn on and speak into the microphones in front of you. 

We will now hear from our first witness. 

Doctor? 

STATEMENT OF DONALD GREYDANUS, M.D., PEDIATRICS PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY/KALAMAZOO CENTER FOR MEDICAL STUDIES 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Good morning, Chairwoman McCarthy and 

members of this committee. It is my distinct honor to be here. This 

is the second time my government has called me to help. The first 

time was almost 40 years ago when you called me into the Vietnam 

War as a physician, and it was an honor to go then, and it is an 

honor to be here this morning as a private citizen. 

I am a professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University. I have studied the issue of violence in children and adolescents for over 35 years. I have researched it, and 

I am happy to give you not only my views, but that of the research 

which has been done over the past several decades. 

First, the definition. It is important for you to realize that corporal punishment refers to the intentional application of physical 

pain to the child in an attempt to change their behavior. It is not 

just paddling. It includes hitting, slapping, spanking, paddling, use 

of belts, use of sticks, pins, placing kids in painful body postures, 

not letting them move, not letting them urinate, applying electrical 

shock, a whole variety of ingenious methods. When someone is 

angry at someone, they come up with a variety of methods. 

It is also important, I think, for the members to understand we 

are not talking about defending oneself and school if a student becomes violent. We are talking about the application of physical pain 

by the school officials to that child in an attempt to change their 

behavior. 

In spite of many national groups, education, civil rights and medical groups, asking for the ban of corporal punishment, it continues 

to exist in 20 states in our country. We are one of the few industrialized countries that allows this behavior to our children. 

Experts note that there are about 1.5 million cases of physical 

punishment occurring, as you noted in your remarks, Chairwoman 

McCarthy. We don’t really know exactly how many, and it depends 

upon how this is counted. Some experts suggest as many as 3 million cases. It is several million which occur. This results, from a 

medical viewpoint, in up to 20,000 children who seek medical attention because of injuries. Instead of putting the kids into school, 

it keeps them out of school for days, weeks, even months. 
8 

Now, why not allow local control of this? Well, there are a few 

things to keep in mind. One is that the current studies suggest 

that this occurs more often in the rural population than in the 

urban population, kindergarten through eighth grade, as you mentioned, versus the high school, but it occurs throughout these 

grades. 

It occurs more often to the disadvantaged, to the non-Caucasian 

individual, to the African-American, to the Hispanic than to middle-class or upper-class Caucasian individual, but it can occur 

through all groups. The research also shows that the lowest incidence of this occurs in the states and school districts that have 

simply said, ‘‘Enough—no hurting of our children,’’ and have banished this. 

Now, the advocates of this have said over the years this is an effective form of changing child misbehavior. The testimony I leave 

for you, my extensive testimony, reviews the literature for you, the 

research that we and others have done. And the vast majority of 

the literature shows it is an ineffective method of correcting child 

misbehavior. It simply doesn’t work. And it has major deleterious 

effects physically and mentally on these children to whom you inflict physical pain. 

Students are hurt, and we have many reports of abrasions, severe muscle injuries, hematomas, kids who have whiplash injury. 

We have even had kids who have died because of this mistreatment. 

There is also no evidence that punishment leads to improved control in the classroom. The literature suggests and shows the opposite is true. Children do not develop improved moral character. 

They do not increase the respect for teachers. They do not develop 

enhanced controls. In fact, the research is very clear that the opposite is occurring. 

These kids become victimized. They have trouble sleeping. They 

develop sadness. They develop feelings of worthlessness, suicidal 

thoughts. They become more violent, more aggressive, angry. This 

committee is looking at school achievement. They develop school 

dysfunction. They develop lower school achievement. They have a 

tendency towards school avoidance. They drop out of school. They 

become malingerers. They develop recidivism. 

You create, Madam Chairwoman, a paralysis of fear in the classroom—not just the kids that are physically hit and hurt, but the 

witnesses. Everyone in the classroom becomes afraid. Children are 

victims. Children become full of trepidation, and it completely destroys the positive atmosphere that education is important. In 

order for a teacher to help its students, you need a positive atmosphere. And the fear of being hit or being hit leads to the opposite. 

Use of corporal punishment in the schools, and the literature on 

this is quite clear, falsely and perfidiously reinforce this physical 

aggression as an acceptable and effective means of eliminating 

what someone thinks is unwanted behavior in the classroom and 

in society. The research shows very clearly it is ineffective. It is 

dangerous. Teachers and principals can learn and should learn 

nonviolent means of classroom control. 

In conclusion, I come to you on several levels. I am a father of 

four daughters. I am a grandfather of five children. I am a pro-
9 

fessor. I am a researcher. I am a Navy veteran, a doctor who 

served in the war. I urge you on multiple levels, look at the evidence that is in the research. It is very clear. 

This is a rare case in my clinical experience where the emotions 

and the research agree, where intuitively you think hurting someone will improve them, and in fact the opposite occurs. The research shows there is no evidence that such punishment improves 

classroom control. It has major physical and mental impact upon 

our children. It doesn’t improve the classroom. If you are looking 

at success in the classroom, it does the opposite. 

If I could put next to me the children from the time this country 

was founded in 1776 ’til today, I could put them right there, and 

all the children who have been hit and witnessed, they would say 

to you, ‘‘Please stop hitting us. We want to learn.’’ And they would 

advocate for the children who are now in school today in this country and the children who will be, the millions of children who will 

be in school over this coming century. 

They would plead with you, ‘‘Don’t hit us. Don’t slap us, spank 

us, punch us, kick us, pinch us, shake us. Please don’t choke us. 

Please don’t hit us with paddles and belts and sticks and pins. 

Please don’t put us in closed spaces and hurt us. Please don’t use 

electric shock on us. Please don’t give us excessive exercise drills. 

Please help us.’’ 

So on multiple levels, both research and as a private citizen, I 

urge you, please, committee, protect our children and give the 

teachers the skills they need. And if you want improvement in the 

schoolroom, this is the place to start. 

In closing, I am very honored to be here. And if you have questions in this regard, I am more than happy to answer them. Thank 

you very much. 

[The statement of Dr. Greydanus follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Donald E. Greydanus M.D., Professor of Pediatrics 

& Human Development, Michigan State University College of Human 

Medicine; Pediatrics Program Director, Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies 

Good morning Chairwoman McCarthy and Members of the Committee. Thank you 

for inviting me to testify on corporal punishment in schools and its effect on children. It is my distinct honor to speak with you today. I am Donald E. Greydanus, 

a pediatrician, and Professor of Pediatrics & Human Development at Michigan 

State University as well as Pediatrics Program Director at the MSU/Kalamazoo 

Center for Medical Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In my testimony I draw on the 

research in this area as well as more than 35 years of my clinical and research work 

in caring for children and adolescents. One focus of my research and clinical work 

has been on violence and its effect on our children and adolescents. 

Definition of Corporal Punishment 

Corporal punishment refers to intentional application of physical pain as a method of behavior change.1 It includes a wide variety of methods such as hitting, slapping, spanking, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, shoving, choking, use of various objects (i.e., wooden paddles, belts, sticks, pins, or others), painful body postures (such as placing in closed spaces), use of electric shock, use of excessive exercise drills, or prevention of urine or stool elimination.2,3 The majority of children 

have experienced physical punishment by the time they reach adolescence.2,3 Corporal punishment in schools does not refer to the occasional need of a school official 

to restrain a dangerous student or use physical force as a means of protecting members of the school community subject to imminent danger. 
10 

Prevalence of Corporal Punishment 

The prevalence of corporal punishment of children in schools remains high in the 

United States. In spite of many education and other national groups calling for corporal punishment in schools to be banned, the United States remains one of the few 

industrialized countries allowing corporal punishment in 30 states.2,21 According to 

the Office of Civil Rights (2007), school officials, including teachers, administered 

corporal punishment to 223,190 school children across the nation during the 2006- 

2007 school year.8,12 Experts note that there are about 1.5 million reported cases 

of physical punishment in school each year, but calculate the actual number to be 

at least 2-3 million; as a result of such punishment, 10,000-20,000 students request 

subsequent medical treatment each year.8,9,12 During this same period, the top ten 

states for students being hit were, in order of highest to lowest frequency: Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, 

Georgia, Missouri, and Florida.9,11,20,21

Current studies indicate that physical punishment is more common in kindergarten through eighth grade (versus high school), in rural schools (versus urban), 

in boys (versus girls), and in disadvantaged as well as non-Caucasian children 

(versus middle-class and upper-class Caucasians).2,3,8,18·21 The lowest incidence 

tends to be in those states and school districts that have outlawed corporal punishment.2,3,4,9,18·21

Youth who attend rural southern schools and who are male or who are AfricanAmerican are more likely to be victims of corporal punishment.3,8 In fact, according 

to data from the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, African American students comprise 17% of all public school students in the U.S., but are 36% 

of those who are victims of corporal punishment; this is more than twice the rate 

of white students. Looking at data from only the 13 states that paddle more than 

1,000 per year, African-American students make up 24.8 percent of the student population but 35.9 percent of those paddled. Additionally, almost 40% of all the cases 

of corporal punishment occur in just two states: Texas and Mississippi; also, if one 

adds Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia, these five states account for almost three 

quarters of all the children receiving corporal punishment in schools.3,8

Disciplinary Ineffectiveness of Corporal Punishment 

Advocates of corporal punishment in schools generally contend that it is an effective form of correcting child misbehavior.2 However, a review of the science in this 

area notes that the vast majority of the evidence leads to the conclusion that corporal punishment is an ineffective method of discipline and has major deleterious 

effects on the physical and mental health of those on whom it is inflicted.1,2,4,19,20,21

As noted already, the Office of Civil Rights (2007) reports that 223,190 school children in the United States received corporal punishment during the 2006-2007 school 

year with estimates that include up to 3 million children and 10,000 to 20,000 requesting medical treatment.8,12 Indeed, children and adolescents can be physically 

damaged by such punishment. In the case of corporal punishment in schools, many 

students are hurt. Medical complications may prevent students from returning to 

school for days, weeks, or even longer. Reported medical findings include abrasions, 

severe muscle injury, extensive hematomas, whiplash damage, life-threatening fat 

hemorrhage, and others (including death!).8,9,12,21

There is no clear evidence that such punishment leads to better control in the 

classroom.2,10,11,13,19,21,22 Physically punishing children has never been shown to enhance moral character development, increase the student’s respect for teachers or 

other authority figures in general, or offer greater security for the teacher.2,6,8,19,21

Children who are subjected to corporal punishment in school, in my view, are being 

physically, emotionally, and mentally abused; indeed, there are no data demonstrating that students subjected to corporal punishment in schools develop enhanced social or self-control skills.2,4,7,21

Effect of Corporal Punishment in School on Academic Success 

Hyman et. al.4,6,21 persistently assert that approximately one-half of students who 

are subjected to severe punishment develop an illness called Educationally Induced 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (EIPSD). In this disorder, there is symptomatology 

analogous to the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As with PTSD, EIPSD can 

be identified by a varying combination of symptoms characteristic of depression and 

anxiety. This mental health imbalance is induced by significant stress; with EIPSD 

the stress is the inflicted punishment. Such victimized students can have difficulty 

sleeping, fatigue, feelings of sadness and worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, anxiety 

episodes, increased anger with feelings of resentment and outbursts of aggression, 

deteriorating peer relationships, difficulty with concentration, lowered school 

achievement, antisocial behavior, intense dislike of authority, somatic complaints, 
11 

tendency for school avoidance, school drop-out, and other evidence of negative highrisk adolescent behavior.22,23 This does not predict nor encourage academic success 

in our school milieu. 

This work is consistent with other research concluding that punished children become more rebellious and are more likely to demonstrate vindictive behavior, seeking retribution against school officials and others in society.9 Punishment is based 

on aversive techniques and produces very limited results.21,22 A student may cease 

acting out in one class only to continue in others. Such a child or adolescent learns 

the wrong message, one of avoidance or escape from getting caught or negative ways 

of eluding detection for wrong doing.24 This student very likely will learn techniques 

that actually lead to reduced self-control, with negative behavior characterized by 

more acting out, school absence, malingering, recidivism, and overt academic revocation.4,9,12,21 Some research notes that the more corporal punishment is used in 

schools, the higher is the rate of student violence and homicide.25

Research notes that corporal punishment constructs an environment of education 

that can be described as unproductive, nullifying, and punitive. Children become 

victims, and trepidation is introduced to all in such a classroom. There is a limited 

(if any) sense of confidence and security; even those children who witness this type 

of abuse are robbed of their full learning potential.19,21 24,26 Students who are 

witnesses or victims of such abuse can develop low self-esteem, magnified guilt feelings, and various anxiety symptoms; such results can have baneful results in the 

psychosocial and educational development of these students.19,21·26 When studies 

look at the milieu of these classrooms, one finds that all are subjected to less, not 

more, learning. Because of fear, the nurturing of open communication, so vital to 

effective education, is severely spoiled in such aversive settings. 

However, the use of corporal punishment is associated with increased mental 

health problems in children including increased psychological distress, which may 

lead to anxiety, depression, alcohol and drug use, and general psychological maladjustment in those to whom it is applied.2 Also, in addition to personal distress, 

it may lead to vicarious learning of maladaptive methods of problem resolution by 

those students who witness it. 

The use of corporal punishment sanctions the notion that it is meritorious to be 

violent toward children, thereby devaluing them in society’s eyes.2,11,19,21 It encourages children to resort to violence because they see their authority figures using it. 

Such practices harm children in teaching them that violence is acceptable, especially 

against the weak, the defenseless, and the subordinate; this is a message that can 

be reasonably assumed will negatively affect generations yet unborn. Violence is not 

acceptable and we must not support it by sanctioning its use by educational authority figures.2,19

Alternatives to Corporal Punishment 

An important technique in maintaining classroom control is to develop a milieu 

of effective communication and positive reciprocal relationships between parents, 

students, and teachers.21 School officials should possess a) expertise in child and adolescent development, b) generally enjoy working with children in the academic setting, c) have a strong desire to help youth learn, and d) promote an environment 

that clearly demonstrates that students are valued, respected, and understood. The 

emphasis should be on positive educational exchanges between teachers and students, not futile, contentious, win-lose contests.2,6,8,21

Students, as well as their parents, should be carefully involved in decision-making 

about school issues affecting them, including the development and implementation 

of educational goals and disciplinary rules, along with positive behavioral support 

where required. Schools should have peer support programs that utilize techniques 

to encourage acceptable behavior.2

It is critical that teachers receive adequate training and resources to help them 

effectively maintain classroom control without resorting to violent or aggressive 

techniques.2 One way to accomplish this is to provide teachers, both during preservice and in-service training, with the ability to employ behavior management 

techniques that promote pro-social classroom interactions among the students; this 

would also promote a positive learning environment for those students. Teachers 

who comprehend the deleterious short- and long-term consequences of corporal punishment may be motivated to make appropriate changes to their classroom management skills. Schools should have an ample supply of counselors in the school to help 

teachers provide their problem students with access to another caring adult who can 

promote self-management as well as anger and impulse control especially for younger children.2,21,26
12 

Constitutional Challenges 

Though more than half the states prohibit the use of corporal punishment in 

schools, federal law does not ban the practice. In the landmark case of Ingraham 

v. Wright,11,14 (1977) the US Supreme Court refused to impose constitutional restrictions on the practice of ‘‘reasonable’’ corporal punishment. The court held that 

corporal punishment in schools does not violate Eight Amendment rights against 

cruel and unusual punishment or Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process. In 

a subsequent case, Hall v. Tawney (1980) the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held 

that students ‘‘have a right to be free from state intrusions into the realm of personal privacy and bodily security thorough means so brutal, demeaning and harmful 

as literally to shock the conscience of the court.’’ Some state laws criminalize the 

imposition of excessive corporal punishment, but the standard of ‘‘excessiveness’’ is 

hard for students to prove. Generally speaking, it would be easier to prove a criminal case of assault and battery than to prove that a teacher has violated a student’s 

substantive due process rights in a particular school disciplinary action. Thus, attempts to expand students’ common law rights by invoking the U.S. Constitution 

have been met with limited, and generally, unsatisfactory results.9,18

Aside from the limited success to end corporal punishment through the courts and 

under the U.S. Constitution, 30 states have banned corporal punishment in public 

and private schools through their own legislative process. By comparison, 47 states 

have laws banning corporal punishment in family day care settings, 44 states in 

group homes, 48 states in day care centers, and 49 states in home foster care 

(www.stophitting.com). 

Conclusions 

The use of corporal punishment in the school environment falsely and perfidiously 

reinforces physical aggression as an acceptable and effective means of eliminating 

unwanted behavior in our society. Corporal punishment in schools is an ineffective, 

dangerous, and unacceptable method of discipline. Nonviolent methods of classroom 

control should be utilized in all our school systems.2,8,9,19,20,21 As a father of 4 

daughters, a grandfather of 5 grandchildren, a Professor of Pediatrics, a medical scientist, and as a US Navy Vietnam veteran who served in the Vietnam war, I urge 

the committee to examine the science of this issue and understand that: 

• There is no clear evidence that such punishment leads to improved control in 

the classroom. 

• Corporal punishment has major deleterious effects on the physical and mental 

health of students punished in this manner. 

• It severely reduces and does not enhance the academic success of students who 

are subjected to corporal punishment in schools. 

• The use of corporal punishment in schools reinforces physical aggression and 

promotes violence in society. 

• Corporal punishment in schools should be banned. 

• Teachers should be educated in the use of alternative methods of discipline, 

with an emphasis on employing evidence-based behavior modification and other 

techniques to maintain control of the classroom without resorting to violence. 

Our precious children should not be subjected in the school milieu to hitting, slapping, spanking, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, shoving, choking, use of various objects (wooden paddles, belts, sticks, pins, or others), painful body postures (as 

placing in closed spaces), use of electric shock, use of excessive exercise drills, or 

prevention of urine or stool elimination. In closing, I wish to avail myself to you 

should you have specific questions for me in this regard. I thank you very much for 

the opportunity and honor to speak before you today. 

Acknowledgement 

Over the past 20 years I have used a number of consultants in my research and 

writing on the topic of Corporal Punishment in Schools. I acknowledge and thank 

these experts for their work with me: 

Anne E. Blake-Dreher JD, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C., Detroit, 

Michigan; Samuel Greydanus Jr. JD, Braintree, Massachusetts; Joseph R. Hawver, 

Esq., Hawver & Associates, PLC, Portage, Michigan; Marissa A. Holt MA, Teacher, 

Paramount Charter Academy, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Dilip R. Patel MD, Professor, 

Pediatrics & Human Development, Michigan State University College of Human Development, MSU/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan; 

Helen D. Pratt, Ph.D, Professor, Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan 

State University College of Human Medicine, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics 

Program Director, MSU/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan; C. Richard Spates, Ph.D, Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 
13 

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Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you very much, Doctor. 

Ms. Frieler? 

STATEMENT OF JANA FRIELER, PRINCIPAL, OVERLAND HIGH 

SCHOOL; PRESIDENT–ELECT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF 

SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 

Ms. FRIELER. Good morning, Chairwoman McCarthy, Ranking 

Member—— 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Could you bring the mic a little bit closer to you? 

Ms. FRIELER. Is that better? 
16 

Good morning. Chairwoman McCarthy, Ranking Member Platts 

and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to 

speak on the issue of corporal punishment in schools and its effects 

on student achievement. 

My name is Jana Frieler. I am the principal of Overland High 

School in Aurora, Colorado. Our school is a comprehensive public 

suburban institution with over 2,000 students, who speak 54 different languages. We are more than a third African-American, a 

fourth Hispanic, and one-half of our students qualify for free and 

reduced lunches, yet Overland High School succeeds academically. 

We offer 21 advanced placement courses and an institute for 

math, science and technology. Eighty-nine percent of our 2009 

graduates are now participating in some form of post-secondary 

education this year. Such success is only possible in a supportive 

school environment. A culture that promotes the students’ sense of 

belonging to the school helps them take ownership of their learning 

and values their voice as an important member of the school community. 

As we have known since Abraham Maslow published his wellknown hierarchy of needs in 1943, fundamentally, if students don’t 

feel safe at school, they cannot learn. My comments today reflect 

both my personal beliefs and the position of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the nation’s largest school 

leadership organization, who I am honored to serve as presidentelect. 

NASSP has adopted a position statement opposing the use of corporal punishment based on six guiding principles. First, schools 

should be free from violence. Schools must engage students and not 

intimidate them into learning. Schools have a responsibility to 

model authority that is constructive, humane, and provides opportunities for growth. 

Discipline must promote self-control in constructive, not harmful 

ways. Discipline and corporal punishment are not synonymous. 

Discipline should be applied consistently and fairly. The statement 

draws a distinction between discipline and punishment. Discipline 

teaches students to learn from their mistakes and handle future 

situations more constructively. Punishment, however, teaches students to avoid getting caught in order to escape the consequences 

and not change a thing about their behavior. 

In my 15 years as a school administrator, I have never resorted 

to corporal punishment, nor do I condone the practice, preferring 

instead to use infractions as learning opportunities. If the student 

understands his or her responsibility in the matter and the consequence for the misbehavior is perceived as fair and reasonable, 

parents and students are much more likely to accept the outcome, 

regardless of the severity. 

Personalization is central to the NASSP’s breaking ranks school 

improvement framework by promoting a climate that never tolerates violence, but instead focuses on each student’s success and implements a proactive approach to the discipline. Such a climate can 

increase attendance, reduce dropout rates, and decrease disruptive 

behaviors, eliminating the need for punishment-focused discipline 

systems. 
17 

However, proactive discipline must be a part of whole school 

planning and operations on a daily basis, not reactive to specific 

incidences of behavior. To this end NASSP supported the Keeping 

All Students Safe Act, which was approved by the House last 

month and would establish federal minimum standards on use of 

physical restraint or seclusion in schools. 

I understand that Chairwoman McCarthy will be introducing 

this legislation to prohibit the use of corporal punishment in our 

public schools, and NASSP will support that bill as well. We who 

are responsible for fostering positive climate in schools welcome the 

support of federal legislation, and we hope that realistic funding 

accompanies it. 

The truth is that creating such a climate is complex and challenging. We must convey clear behavioral expectations to students, 

staff and parents, and at all times we must keep what is in the 

best interest of our students at heart with fair and natural consequences designed to educate instead of punitive ones designed to 

exact revenge. 

Programs such as school-wide positive behavior support, which is 

widely used in Colorado, can assist school leaders through the 

tracking of discipline infractions by time and type, which allows resources and human capital to be placed where they are most needed. 

Dr. James Comer, one of the country’s leading child psychiatrists, has stated, ‘‘No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.’’ Establishing this trusting relationship is even 

more critical to the academic development of minority students and 

those living in poverty, students that research shows are more likely to receive corporal punishment, if it is allowed. 

The threat of physical punishment hanging over a student’s head 

does not promote a climate of security, nor of learning. Corporal 

punishment is no longer tolerated in the military, prisons, or mental institutions. I strongly encourage Congress to give students the 

same consideration by enacting legislation that prohibits the use of 

corporal punishment in all schools nationwide. 

Madam Chairwoman, this concludes my prepared testimony, but 

I would be happy to answer any questions committee members 

have. 

[The statement of Ms. Frieler follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Jana Frieler, President-Elect, National Association 

of Secondary School Principals 

Chairwoman McCarthy, Ranking Member Platts, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to speak on the issue of corporal punishment 

in schools and its effect on student achievement. My name is Jana Frieler, and I 

am the principal of Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado, where I have served 

for five years. Our school is a comprehensive, public, suburban institution with over 

2,100 students who speak 54 different languages. Nearly half of our students are 

eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Thirty-seven percent of our students are 

Black, and 22% are Hispanic. Diversity is something we celebrate. Our students can 

take part in leadership groups to help them appreciate our differences while participating in activities that celebrate their own cultures. Overland is also a college preparatory school with 21 different Advanced Placement courses in almost every subject area and an Institute for Math, Science, and Technology. Eighty-nine percent 

of our students who graduated from our school in 2009 are participating in some 

form of postsecondary education this year. 
18 

The Cherry Creek School District, where my school is located, covers approximately 110 square miles in the southeast metropolitan boundaries of the Denver 

area and serves approximately 48,700 students. Our district consists of 40 elementary schools, 1 charter school, 11 middle schools, 6 high schools and 1 alternative 

high school. 

Today, I am also appearing on behalf of the National Association of Secondary 

School Principals, where I serve as president-elect. In existence since 1916, NASSP 

is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school 

principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United 

States and more than 45 countries around the world. Our mission is to promote excellence in middle level and high school leadership. 

NASSP 

In 2004, the NASSP Board of Directors adopted a position statement expressing 

our opposition to the use of corporal punishment in middle and high schools. The 

board revisited that position in February 2009 and reaffirmed our commitment to 

the six guiding principals on which the position statement is based: 

• NASSP supports the federal goal of violence-free schools stated in Goals 2000: 

Educate America Act (1994). Every school in the United States should be free of 

drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol. 

• The fundamental need of U.S. education is to find ways of engaging today’s students in the excitement of learning. Fear of pain or embarrassment has no place 

in that process. 

• Students have the right to learn in a safe and secure environment. Schools have 

a responsibility to model for and teach our youth methods of exerting authority and 

modifying behavior that are constructive, humane, and provide opportunities for 

growth. 

• Many proven means of discipline promote self-control and the development of 

appropriate socially adaptive behaviors in constructive, nonharmful ways. 

• Discipline and corporal punishment are not synonymous. 

• Discipline should be applied consistently and fairly. 

To avoid the alienation of youth and to address the issues that lead to corporal 

punishment, NASSP has a long history of supporting the personalization of the 

school environment and student learning. We believe that school climate must be 

one that never tolerates violence but instead focuses on each student’s success and 

how the school can foster a proactive approach to discipline. 

In 1996, NASSP published Breaking Ranks:Changing an American Institution in 

which we called for sweeping change in schools. Recommendations from that and 

later Breaking Ranks publications focus on areas that the school principal can influence directly. Some of the recommendations that apply to this topic are: 

• Schools will create small units in which anonymity is banished. 

• Every student will have a personal adult advocate. 

• Schools will engage students’ families as partners. 

• Schools, in conjunction with agencies in the community, will help coordinate the 

delivery of physical and mental health services. 

As you can see, recommendations such as these are the proactive part of discipline 

and must be part of the whole school planning and operations on a daily basis. 

To this end, NASSP supported legislation approved by the House last month that 

would establish federal minimum standards on the use of physical restraint or seclusion in schools. The Keeping All Students Safe Act (H.R. 4247) would also ensure 

that state-approved crisis intervention programs include evidence-based skills training related to positive behavior supports and provide grants to states implementing 

schoolwide positive behavior support approaches to improving school climate. I understand that Chairwoman McCarthy will be introducing legislation to prohibit the 

use of corporal punishment in our nation’s public schools, and NASSP will support 

that bill as well. 

Corporal Punishment in Colorado 

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in the United States at 

least 220,000 children in public schools are subjected to corporal punishment, or 

‘‘paddling,’’ in response to unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate language. A 

disproportionate number of these students are minorities, male students, and students with disabilities. In fact, while Black students represent only 17% of the total 

student population, they receive 36% of the corporal punishment, more than twice 

the rate of White students. 

Although corporal punishment is no longer tolerated in the military, prisons, or 

mental institutions, the U.S. Department of Education reports that 20 states still 

allow corporal punishment in full or in part, including my home state of Colorado. 
19 

Long considered a ‘‘local control state,’’ the Colorado legislature enacted the Safe 

Schools Act in 2004 to provide students with a safe, conducive learning environment 

that is free from disruptions. Each school district must develop ‘‘concisely written 

conduct and discipline codes that shall be enforced uniformly, fairly and consistently 

for all students.’’ The district’s conduct and discipline code must also include ‘‘policies and procedures for the use of reasonable and appropriate physical intervention 

or force in dealing with disruptive students; except that no board shall adopt a discipline code that includes provisions that are in conflict with the [state] definition 

of child abuse.’’ 

While corporal punishment is allowable in Colorado, I believe its use is rare and 

there are reasons for this. First are the liability issues that are of great concern to 

school officials; regardless of the immunity laws that protect the school staff who 

impose such punishments, the possibility for potential litigation is great. More importantly, however, the use of corporal punishment can serve as an impediment to 

student learning. If students need to feel safe in order to learn, striking a child as 

a punishment is completely counterintuitive to establishing a culture and climate 

of safety and therefore inhibits the learning that should be happening. 

Corporal punishment is specifically prohibited in the Cherry Creek School District, which governs my school. Every year, the Student Conduct and Discipline, 

Rights and Responsibilities handbook is distributed to school staff members and 

parents to explain the district’s policies for ensuring a safe education environment. 

Consistent with state law and as long as it is not in conflict with the legal definition 

of child abuse, however, the handbook states that our discipline policies and procedures may include acts of reasonable and appropriate physical intervention or force 

if a student is placing him or herself or others in danger. As the principal of Overland High School, I must submit an annual report to the board of education that 

includes information on the number of conduct and discipline code violations that 

occurred at my school and list any behavior on school property ‘‘that is detrimental 

to the welfare or safety of other students or of school personnel, including behavior 

that creates a threat of physical harm to the student or to other students.’’ 

Personal Testimony 

I have been a school administrator for over 15 years and, as such, have made 

countless decisions regarding the discipline of students. I have never resorted to corporal punishment nor do I condone the practice. I believe that discipline should not 

be aimed at punishment, but rather used as a learning opportunity for our students. 

If we focus on punishing our students through threats, coercion, or physical punishment, they may simply learn to avoid getting caught in order to escape the consequences and therefore may become doomed to repeat, not change, their behavior. 

If we focus on using the situation as a learning opportunity, however, we teach 

them instead to learn from their mistakes and how to better handle future situations in a more positive manner. Personally, I have had much success with this 

practice. If the student understands his or her responsibility in the matter and the 

consequence for the misbehavior is perceived as fair and reasonable, parents and 

students are much more likely to accept the outcome, regardless of its severity. 

As a school administrator, I have always worked to create opportunities that are 

best for my students. Programs, activities and events that enhance student performance take priority, but it’s important to realize that for academic growth to occur, 

it must take place in a supportive school environment—a culture that promotes the 

students’ sense of belonging to the school helps them take ownership of their learning and values them as important members of the school community. This type of 

personalized learning environment can increase attendance, decrease dropout rates, 

and decrease disruptive behavior—and eliminate the need for a punishment-focused 

discipline system. 

While my philosophy sounds simple, creating this type of school environment is, 

in reality, quite complex. School leaders must intentionally focus on establishing a 

positive, supportive school environment with policies and procedures that affect the 

culture and continually monitor the climate and revising it as necessary. Clear expectations regarding student behaviors must be conveyed to students, staff members, and parents. Fair and natural consequences, as opposed to punitive ones, must 

be employed at all times. 

Programs such as schoolwide positive behavior support, widely used in Colorado, 

can assist school leaders by tracking of discipline infractions by type and time, 

which allows resources and human capital to be placed where they are most needed. 

School climate and culture surveys are also given to students, staff members, and 

parents to provide insight and valuable information as to how the school’s environment is perceived by all stakeholders. 
20 

Dr. James Comer, one of the country’s leading child psychiatrists, has said, ‘‘No 

significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.’’ Establishing this 

trusting relationship is even more essential to the academic development of minority 

students and those living in poverty—students who research shows are more likely 

to receive corporal punishment if it is allowed. So while the establishment of a positive, supportive school environment is important in every school, it is paramount in 

schools with diverse or high-poverty populations. 

Unfortunately, the wishes and best interests of adults are often the basis of decisions made in some schools. And while it is important to consider the needs of all 

members of the school community, decisions must be made in the best interests of 

the students being served. Based on my personal philosophy and experiences as well 

as my position as president-elect of NASSP, I offer the following recommendations 

to guide schools in developing a positive, supportive environment that promotes the 

academic growth and personal development of every student at the school: 

• Abolish all policies and procedures that allow or promote corporal punishment 

or are focused on punitive measures. 

• Help students achieve academic success through the identification of strengths 

and deficiencies and provide students with the instruction, interventions, and support necessary for success. 

• Establish discipline policies and practices that promote growth and self-discipline and are based on fair, reasonable, and consistent rules. 

• Employ disciplinary consequences that are natural, logical, and meaningful and 

contain an instructional or reflective component. 

• When appropriate, implement personalized behavioral contracts that are collaboratively developed by school personnel, the student, and the parent(s). 

• Encourage positive reinforcement of appropriate behavior. 

• Establish programs that emphasize early diagnosis of social or behavioral problems and provide the students and their teachers with the appropriate interventions 

and support. 

• Encourage programs that emphasize values, citizenship, school pride, and personal responsibility and support the mental health needs of students. 

• Use school and/or community-based counseling for individuals or groups. 

• Develop systems that promote strong parent-school and community-school communications and relationships. 

• Provide professional development opportunities for school leaders and all staff 

members (teachers, support staff, bus drivers, playground aides, etc.) to gain and/ 

or refine skills in classroom management, conflict resolution, relationship building, 

positive behavioral supports, etc. 

In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his well known research on the hierarchy 

of needs. The need to feel safe is the second most important attribute after basic 

life needs such as food and shelter. Maslow’s hierarchy tells us that if the first level 

is not met, progress in the second is impossible and so forth. A clear conclusion is 

that if a student does not feel safe, then other life functions cannot take place. The 

educational parallel to this research is that if students don’t feel safe at school, they 

cannot learn; this has been supported by multiple research studies. The threat of 

physical punishment hanging over a student’s head does not promote a climate of 

security or learning. For this reason and the ones I have stated previously, I firmly 

encourage Congress to enact legislation prohibiting the use of corporal punishment 

in all schools nationwide. 

Madam Chairwoman, this concludes my prepared testimony, but I would be happy 

to answer any questions you or the other committee members may have. 

Thank you again for this opportunity. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thanks very much. 

Ms. Gilbert? 

STATEMENT OF WYNELL GILBERT, TEACHER, 

ERWIN HIGH SCHOOL 

Ms. GILBERT. Chairwoman McCarthy and subcommittee members, it is an honor to speak before you today. I am Wynell Gilbert, 

a secondary school science teacher at Erwin High School in Center 

Point, Alabama. I am testifying today on behalf of the Jefferson 

County Federation of Teachers. I am also a member of the American Federation of Teachers, which for many years has been train-
21 

ing teachers on how to run effective, orderly, safe and respectful 

classrooms without the use of corporal punishment. 

I am here today, because I know firsthand the difference a teacher can make in the classroom without having to resort to corporal 

punishment. Even though corporal punishment is allowed in many 

Southern states, has it truly made a difference in student behavior? 

Based on my experience as a teacher in a high school that was 

once known for its discipline problems, using corporal punishment 

in my opinion is comparable to sweeping dirt under the rug. The 

problem still exists. It is just being covered up. A paddle may teach 

a child to be fearful, but what happens when the child is no longer 

afraid? 

I have been in public education for approximately 12 years. Six 

of these years have been spent at Erwin High School. In terms of 

demographics, we are a school that is approximately 93 percent African-American, 1 percent Asian, 3 percent Hispanic and 3 percent 

Caucasian. 

Our school has a highly transient student population. Many of 

my students are raised in single parent homes, primarily by their 

mothers and/or grandparents. Most of the parents are relatively 

young. The majority of male students are raised in homes without 

their fathers, and sometimes there is little or no interaction between fathers and sons. 

Some of our students are affiliated with gangs and often engage 

in illegal activities. We have had to deal with a lot of discipline 

problems in the school, and unfortunately, some of these discipline 

problems were handled by the use of corporal punishment with the 

consent of a parent. The problems were not solved, because the 

same behaviors continued, often with more hostility from the student. 

In my classroom I have dealt with different types of misbehaviors. I can honestly say that I have never had to administer 

corporal punishment, nor had the desire to use it on any of my students. However, as a result of their misbehavior, some of my students did receive corporal punishment from the school administration. Unfortunately, when the students came back to my classroom, 

they were often hostile, and after a while, the misbehavior resumed. 

As a result I became proactive in my class as opposed to being 

reactive. I started this process by implementing strategies that I 

learned through educational research and dissemination training. 

It is a professional development program developed by the American Federation of Teachers, which my local union provides. 

Based on this training I set high behavioral expectations for my 

students, seek to empower them and work really hard at getting 

to know my students, their likes, their dislikes, and try to find the 

things that motivate them. As simple as this may seem, these are 

the strategies that have cut down on misbehavior in my classroom 

without the use of corporal punishment. 

For example, as an incentive, I give extra credit bonus points to 

students who go the extra mile in class. We may do special projects 

as a class. I may have guest speakers come to talk to the students, 

and as opportunity presents itself, we may do outside experiments. 
22 

These are the things that I find help motivate my students. These 

incentives give them reason to come to my class and participate. 

In essence, these extras give students a sense of ownership and acceptance. 

Even though these strategies have been successful in my classroom, there are always a few students who may act out. However, 

because of the tone I have set and the expectations that have been 

established, these misbehaviors often are minor and can be handled in the classroom. 

I can recall a situation in which one of my female students would 

come to class with the worst attitude ever. She constantly caused 

problems in the classroom. Before sending her to the office, I spoke 

with a social worker. This is a position most schools in my district 

do not have, but we have been fortunate to have a social worker 

within our school. 

I found out that this young lady had very little respect for 

women, because she was habitually abused by her mother and 

eventually was removed from her home and placed in foster care. 

When I realized this, I knew that harsh punishment would not 

solve the problem with this young lady. 

I learned that she was a very good artist, so the next day in class 

we did an assignment in which students had to illustrate what 

they learn by drawing a picture. Each person in the class was assigned a role. Of course, I assigned this young lady to be the illustrator, giving her an opportunity to showcase her artwork. At the 

end of class I commented her on her drawing, and she was thrilled 

to know that I liked the picture. 

We engaged in a conversation about other things that interest 

her, but everything circled back to art. Without going into detail 

about her past, she told me that drawing gave her an opportunity 

to escape. Seeing that this was her greatest strength, I suggested 

the following to her. I told her when she came to class, she had to 

act like a young lady to do all that was required for the class period. Then, if time allowed, I would let her draw for the last 5 to 

10 minutes of class. 

I didn’t let her down. I kept my promise, and I maintained consistency with her. As a result, she didn’t let me down and became 

one of my better students. In this situation corporal punishment 

would not have been the solution. 

In addition to the things I have done in my classroom to maintain discipline through positive reinforcement, our school has been 

proactive with this approach as well. Among the things that have 

been done in place is a program called ‘‘Caught Doing Something 

Good,’’ which recognizes students for doing something good in the 

school. For example, if a student turns in a lost wallet, the student’s name is announced over the PA system at the end of the 

day. Students are so excited to hear their names announced that 

they work extra hard to be recognized for their positive behaviors. 

In conclusion, corporal punishment does not work, and in my 

opinion should be banned. Fortunately, the principal of my school 

has moved away from corporal punishment unless the parent consents. Yes, we still have discipline problems, but our principal 

works really hard with our social worker to ensure that students 
23 

have an opportunity to improve their behavior by using positive reinforcement before other steps are taken. 

Thank you, and I will be available for questions. 

[The statement of Ms. Gilbert follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Wynell Gilbert, Teacher, Erwin High School, 

Center Point, AL 

Chairwoman McCarthy, Ranking Member Platts, and subcommittee members, I 

am Wynell Gilbert, a secondary school science teacher at Erwin High School in Center Point, Ala. I am testifying today on behalf of the Jefferson County Federation 

of Teachers. I am also a member of the American Federation of Teachers, which for 

many years has been training teachers in how to run effective, orderly, safe and respectful classrooms without the use of corporal punishment. 

I am here today because I know firsthand the difference a teacher can make in 

the classroom without having to resort to the use of corporal punishment. Even 

though corporal punishment is allowed in many Southern states, has it truly made 

a difference in student behavior? Based on my experiences as a teacher in a high 

school that was once known for its discipline problems, using corporal punishment 

is comparable to sweeping dirt under the rug: The problem still exists; it’s just being 

covered up. Typically, the students who caused the most problems in my classroom 

were the ones who were seeking attention and/or in search of acceptance. A paddle 

may teach a child to be fearful, but what happens when the child is no longer 

afraid? 

I have been in public education for approximately 12 years. Six of these years 

have been spent at Erwin High School, near Birmingham, Ala. In terms of demographics, we are a school that is 93.1 percent African-American, 0.8 percent Asian, 

3.06 percent Hispanic, and 3.31 percent Caucasian. Our school has a highly transient student population. Many of my students are raised in single-parent homes, 

primarily by their mothers and/or grandparents. Most of the parents are relatively 

young. The majority of male students are raised in homes without their fathers, and 

sometimes there is little or no interaction between fathers and sons. Some of our 

students are affiliated with gangs and often engage in illegal activities. We have 

had to deal with a lot of discipline problems in the school and, unfortunately, some 

of these discipline problems were handled by the use of corporal punishment. The 

problems were not solved, because the same behaviors continued, often with even 

more hostility. 

In my classroom, I have dealt with different types of misbehaviors. I can honestly 

say that I have never had to administer corporal punishment nor had the desire 

to use it on any of my students. However, as a result of their misbehavior, some 

of my students did receive corporal punishment from the school administration. Unfortunately, when the students, came back to my classroom, they were often hostile, 

and after a while, the misbehavior resumed. As a result, I became proactive as opposed to reactive. I started this process by implementing strategies that I learned 

through ER&D (Educational Research and Dissemination) training, a professional 

development program developed by the American Federation of Teachers, which my 

local union provides. From this, I found that the most effective strategy was setting 

the tone in my own classroom. 

From day one, I set high behavioral expectations for my students; I empower 

them by giving them an opportunity to establish their own classroom rules as long 

as they comply with the school’s Student Code of Conduct. I make a conscious effort 

to get to know my students; this enables me to target the ones who may develop 

behavioral problems. Typically, these are the students who I want to ‘‘empower’’ by 

giving them certain responsibilities. For example, I had a young lady in my class 

who was always tardy; when she came to class, she always caused problems. Whenever I addressed the issue with her, she would become hostile and shut down. Of 

course, when she did this, it interrupted the learning process. One day, I decided 

to take a different approach. That day when she came in late, I asked her to file 

papers for me. She worked quietly in a corner. The next day, I saw her in the hall 

and I commented on how well she filed the papers and how she helped me out tremendously. The look on her face made me realize that this may have been the only 

compliment this young lady had ever received. So, she and I began to talk more, 

and she offered to be my student helper. This gave me an opportunity to see what 

she was interested in, while being able to hold some type of leverage on her. My 

response to her was, ‘‘You can’t be my helper if you continue to come to my class 

late and misbehave. You have to set an example for other students.’’ After having 

this conversation with her, she was the first person to arrive in my class every day. 
24 

In fact, she became one of my best students. In situations like this, oftentimes the 

student is referred to the office for disciplinary action, which may or may not result 

in corporal punishment. Would corporal punishment have benefited this young lady? 

Positive reinforcement got the results I wanted without the use of corporal punishment. 

I work really hard at getting to know my students, thus learning their ‘‘likes’’ and 

‘‘dislikes,’’ and I try to find the things that motivate them. As simple as this may 

seem, these are the strategies that have cut down on misbehavior in my classroom, 

without the use of corporal punishment. For example, as an incentive, I give extra 

credit/bonus points to students who go the extra mile in class; we may do special 

projects as a class; I may have guest speakers come in to talk to the students; and 

if the opportunity presents itself, we may do outside experiments. These are the 

things that I find help motivate my students. These incentives give them a reason 

to come to my class and participate. In essence, these extras give students a sense 

of ownership and acceptance. Even though these strategies have been successful in 

my classroom, there are always a few students who still may act out. However, because of the tone I have set and the expectations that have been established, these 

misbehaviors often are minor and can be handled in the classroom. I know that I 

have been successful in managing my classroom because I am consistent; I provide 

a structured environment for my students; and I try to address any problems in the 

beginning before they fester. 

As I recall, during my first year of teaching at this school, many of the students 

had very little pride, and school morale was very low. We had a lot of discipline 

problems, and many of our students received corporal punishment. Even though corporal punishment was administered, the discipline problems continued. 

Unlike most schools in our school district, we have a full-time social worker on 

our campus. This individual has played a tremendous role in working with the students who are most likely to misbehave. Oftentimes, teachers are asked to refer students with repetitive misbehaviors to the social worker. These students typically are 

dealt with by using the Strength-Based Perspective program, which highlights the 

students’ strengths (something positive) as opposed to their weaknesses. By using 

this approach, he is able to build a relationship with the student, which in turn 

builds trust and gives the student an opportunity to be a part of the process. The 

social worker’s role in the school has had a very positive impact, particularly on our 

male students. It is very helpful that he is an African-American, so most of the students can identify with him; he has taught a lot of these young men what it means 

to be a man and how to avoid conflict in a positive way (whether the conflict is in 

the classroom or at home). 

I can recall a situation in which one of my female students would come to class 

with the worst attitude ever; she constantly caused problems in the class. Before 

sending her to the office, I spoke with the social worker. I later found out that this 

young lady had very little respect for women because she was habitually abused by 

her mother and eventually was removed from her home and placed in foster care. 

When I realized this, I knew that a harsh punishment would not solve the problem 

with this young girl. I learned that she was a very good artist, so the next day in 

class, we did an assignment in which students had to illustrate what they had 

learned by drawing a picture. Each person in the class was assigned a role. Of 

course, I assigned this young lady to be the illustrator (giving her an opportunity 

to showcase her artwork). At the end of class, I commented on her drawing, and 

she was thrilled to know that I liked the picture. We engaged in conversation about 

other things that interested her, but everything circled back to art. Without going 

into detail about her past, she told me that drawing gave her an opportunity to escape. Seeing that this was her greatest strength, I suggested the following: I told 

her that when she came to class she had to act like a young lady, to do all that 

was required for the class period. Then, if time allowed, I would let her draw for 

the last five to ten 10 minutes of class. I didn’t let her down, I kept my promise 

and I maintained consistency with her. As a result, she didn’t let me down and became one of my better students. In this situation, corporal punishment would not 

have been a solution. 

In addition to the things I have done in my classroom to maintain discipline 

through positive reinforcement, our school has been proactive with this approach as 

well. Among the things that have been put in place is a program called ‘‘Caught 

Doing Something Good,’’ which recognizes students for doing something good in the 

school. For example, if a student turns in a lost wallet, the student’s name is announced over the PA system at the end of the day. Students are so excited to hear 

their names announced that they work extra hard to be recognized for their positive 

behaviors. Even though this approach has not eliminated all discipline problems, it 

has given students the opportunity to build character and integrity. Three years 
25 

ago, a mentoring program titled G.U.M.B.O.S. (Greater Understanding of Multiple 

Blends of Students) was established. G.U.M.B.O.S. is a service organization with a 

very diverse group of students ranging from star athletes and scholars to students 

who have exhibited behavioral problems. Members of this organization are matched 

with students in the elementary and junior high schools to serve as mentors. Ironically, the students who caused the most behavioral problems often made the best 

mentors. Their behavior changed as a result of being a part of a respectable group, 

which gave them a sense of ownership and acceptance, and made them feel important. 

I could go on and on about the different programs we offer our students to reinforce positive behavior, but I realize that time is limited. However, I can say that 

having these programs in place has been far more effective in maintaining discipline 

than using corporal punishment or other negative alternatives. 

My job as a teacher is to provide my students with the necessary skills they need 

to be productive citizens. In most cases, these skills go beyond what is found in the 

textbooks. What makes me feel good about what I do day to day are the ways in 

which my students are able to resolve their own conflicts without the use of physical 

force. Most of my students come from homes in which they are used to having pain 

inflicted upon them to get desired results. As a result, that behavior trickles into 

the classroom, and they in turn begin to practice violent acts to get the results they 

want, which creates a bigger problem in the classroom. Taking a different approach 

by using other methods to show students how they can resolve conflict in a positive 

manner is more effective, because these are long-term life skills that everyone needs 

to know. More importantly, these skills build character and integrity, which is something that corporal punishment fails to do. 

In sum, corporal punishment does not work and in my opinion should be banned. 

In each of the examples provided, it was positive reinforcement, building on student 

strengths, and fostering nurturing relationships between teachers and students that 

extinguished unwanted behaviors. Administration of corporal punishment perpetuates unnecessary reassertions of adult power and control, it humiliates students, 

and it results in little or no change in student behavior. 

Fortunately, the principal of my school has moved away from corporal punishment. Yes, we still have discipline problems, but our principal works really hard 

with our social worker to ensure that students have an opportunity to improve their 

behavior by using positive reinforcement before other steps are taken. 

As I close, I am proud to say that in 2011 we will be moving into a brand-new 

high school. For the first time, I will have a true science lab. I am excited and the 

students are excited. Moving from an antiquated building into a modern building 

is going to mean a lot for these students. Most importantly, they can walk into a 

new school with a sense of dignity and pride. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Ms. Gilbert. 

Ms. Pee? 

STATEMENT OF LINDA PEE, PARENT OF STUDENT WHO 

RECEIVED CORPORAL PUNISHMENT 

Ms. PEE. Chair McCarthy and members of the subcommittee, 

thank you for the opportunity to testify at this hearing on corporal 

punishment. My name is Linda Pee, and I am pleased to join you 

to discuss how corporal punishment had a negative effect on my 

daughter Audrey and how my efforts to protect her from this practice were unsuccessful. 

My daughter Audrey attended school within Webster County 

School District in Mississippi from second until 12th grade. Audrey 

moved to East Webster High School in sixth grade. That first year 

they sent a discipline form home with Audrey, letting parents opt 

out of corporal punishment. You fill it out and send it back with 

the child, and you can check a box saying whether you don’t want 

your child hit in school. I said it was okay for her to be punished, 

because it never occurred to me she would be injured from it. I 

thought she would be safe at school. 
26 

When Audrey was in the sixth grade, she was paddled for the 

first time. In general the paddles are wood and about 15 inches 

long with a handle at one end. The gym coach paddled her for 

being tardy for gym class. There were 10 kids late for class that 

day, and the coach lined them up and hit them on their behind in 

front of the other students. 

When Audrey got home that day, she was pretty upset. She told 

me that she had gotten one lick. She had purple bruises. You could 

see the mark of the paddle across her buttocks. I was shocked and 

infuriated. I couldn’t believe that one lick could make marks like 

that. I was so upset I called my sister, who said I needed to take 

her to the emergency room, and so that is what I did. 

After that incident I made it clear to the school that I didn’t 

want Audrey paddled again. I went in the next day and talked with 

the principal and the teacher that hit her. I made it real clear they 

had better not lay another hand on my child, and there weren’t any 

problems for a few years. 

But the atmosphere in the school was really one of intimidation 

and fear. My daughter would see children paddled all the time. She 

said the teacher who hit her, who became the new principal, would 

leave the door open so people could see that he was hitting children. 

At the beginning of Audrey’s 12th grade, I got a form from school 

asking if I gave permission for corporal punishment. I was offended 

they had even sent this form to my home, because I had already 

made it so clear in my wishes. But I completed it anyway, and I 

put a huge X on the box for no paddling and sent the form back 

to school. 

In March 2007, only a few months before Audrey was to graduate, she was paddled again by this principal, the same man who 

was directly told before that I objected to the school using corporal 

punishment. She was hit for violating the dress code, because she 

was wearing sweatpants that fell between her knees and her ankles. She received two blows from the principal in his office, and 

she was paddled in first period and had bruises all over by third 

period. 

I got her into the doctor’s office, and he documented the welts 

and bruises. I called the superintendent and told him what happened. I didn’t understand how they could paddle her when I had 

signed the form telling them not to. I was so upset, but the school 

said they couldn’t find the form. I trusted the school to keep the 

form safe in a file. 

After Audrey was paddled again, I tried everything I could to 

think of to protect my daughter. I went to the sheriff’s department 

to file charges. I went to the school board meeting to talk about it. 

I filed a complaint with the State Department of Education, but 

nothing happened. And I have tried to pursue a court case, but we 

couldn’t get anywhere. There is immunity for teachers who paddle 

in school. 

I was left with no options. They bruised my child and injured her 

twice. And I tried to protect her by opting her out of this horrible 

type of punishment, but in the end I was unable to. This child is 

a gift from God that I vowed to protect. 
27 

In schools, education should be the primary focus. The school 

should be a safe place. There are other ways to change behavior 

of children in school. I remember when Audrey was in elementary 

school and she got in trouble for talking in class. I told the teacher, 

‘‘Well, if you keep her in from recess and give her a little extra 

work to do, I think that will take care of that,’’ since social time 

was what was important.’’ And it did. 

I don’t think anyone should be hitting anyone else’s children. It 

is not the type of decision teachers or principals should make. It 

is too complicated, and too much can go wrong. You can’t know 

what mood the teacher is in, whether he is mad or swings too hard. 

This just shouldn’t happen in school, and not to anyone’s child. 

Thank you. 

[The statement of Ms. Pee follows:] 

Prepared Statement of Linda Pee, Mother of Student Who Received 

Corporal Punishment 

Chair McCarthy, Ranking Member Platts, and Members of the Subcommittee: 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify at this hearing on corporal punishment and 

its effects on academic success. My name is Linda Pee, and I am pleased to join 

you today to discuss how corporal punishment had a negative effect on my daughter, 

Audrey, and how my efforts to protect her from the practice were unsuccessful. 

I. Personal Background 

I was born in Maben, Mississippi, and until July 2009, I lived in Cumberland, 

Mississippi. My daughter, Audrey, attended schools in the Webster County School 

District from second grade until twelfth grade. Audrey moved to East Webster High 

School in sixth grade. That first year, they sent a discipline form home with Audrey 

letting parents opt out of corporal punishment. You fill it out and send it back with 

the child, and you can tick a box saying you don’t want your child hit in school. 

You also have to sign the handbook, stating you read the rules. I signed saying it 

was OK for her to be punished, because it never occurred to me she could be injured 

from it. I thought she would be safe in school. 

II. Paddling Incidents 

When Audrey was in sixth grade, she was paddled for the first time. The paddles 

they use look sort of like a flattened baseball bat—they’re a piece of wood about 15 

inches long, three inches wide, and an inch thick, with a handle at one end. The 

gym coach paddled her for being tardy for gym class. There were 10 kids late for 

class that day, and the coach lined them up and hit them on their behinds in front 

of the other students. 

When Audrey got home that day, she was pretty upset and she told me that she 

had marks on her behind. When I saw the mark of the paddle, I was shocked and 

infuriated. I just couldn’t believe it. She told me that she got one lick. I couldn’t 

believe that one lick would make marks like that. I was so upset I called my sister, 

who said I needed to take her to the emergency room. So that’s what I did. She 

had purple bruises—you could see the mark of the paddle across her buttocks. 

After that incident, I made it clear to the school that I didn’t want Audrey paddled again. I went in the next day and talked to the principal. I made it real clear 

that they’d better not lay another hand on my child. And there weren’t any problems for a few years. 

Audrey was an OK student—she had some trouble in math—but she had no major 

disciplinary incidents between sixth and twelfth grade. But the atmosphere in the 

school—it was really one of intimidation and fear. My daughter would see children 

paddled all the time. She said the principal would leave the door open so people 

could see that he was hitting people. Some kids get upset and angry when they see 

their friends paddled. And some kids become used to it, as if it was just OK to see 

their classmates being hit. But to me, it just doesn’t seem right for kids to see that 

in school, for them to learn that this is OK. This practice can really injure kids, 

it injured my daughter. 

I remember, at the beginning of Audrey’s twelfth grade, I got a form from the 

school, asking if I gave permission for corporal punishment. I was offended they had 

even sent the form home, I had already been so clear in my wishes. But I completed 
28 

it anyway and sent it back—I put a huge ‘‘X’’ on the box for no paddling, and sent 

the form back to the school. 

In March 2007, only a few months before Audrey was due to graduate, she was 

paddled again. She was hit for violating the dress code, because she was wearing 

sweatpants that fell between the knees and the ankles, in violation of a new rule 

stating that students could not show their ankles at school. She received two blows 

from the principal in his office. She was bruised again, she had bruises all over her 

behind. She was paddled in first period and she had bruises all over her by third 

period. I took her to the doctor’s office and he documented the bruises, and we went 

to the sherriff’s department. 

Audrey didn’t want to tell me what happened; she knew I was going to be mad. 

And I was mad, I was upset. I called the superintendent and told him what happened. I didn’t understand how they could paddle her when I’d signed the form telling them not to. I was so upset. But the school said they couldn’t find the form. 

I trusted the school to keep this document safe in its files. 

After Audrey was paddled again, I tried everything I could think of to protect my 

daughter. I went to the sheriff’s department, to file charges for assault. I went to 

a school board meeting and tried to talk about the issue, but nothing happened. I 

filed a case with the State Department of Education, but I got an email back saying 

I should go through the local body. And I tried to pursue a court case. But we 

couldn’t get anywhere—there’s immunity for teachers who paddle in school. I was 

left with no options. They bruised my child and injured her twice. I tried to protect 

her by opting her out of this horrible type of punishment, but in the end even doing 

that, I was unable to protect her and the school still hurt her. 

III. Protecting My Child 

In schools, education should be the primary focus. You want to feel like you’re 

sending your child to a safe place. You certainly don’t want your child injured and 

bruised. It’s crazy. The school should be a safe place, not a place where your child 

gets injured. 

What hurts most about this is that I tried to do everything I could to protect my 

child, but that wasn’t enough. This child is a gift from God that I’ve vowed to protect. She’s my life. I’ve been divorced for 13 years. When Audrey was growing up, 

it was me and her. It hurts that I feel like I haven’t protected her. In the end, no 

parent should have to be worried about that. 

There are other ways to change the behavior of children in school—that would 

have been better for Audrey. I remember when she was in elementary school she 

got in trouble for talking in class. I told the teacher, if you keep her in from recess 

and give her some extra work—that will take care of that. And it did, because social 

time was important to my daughter. 

I don’t think anybody should be hitting anybody else’s children. It’s not the type 

of decision teacher or principals should make—it’s too complicated and too much can 

go wrong. You can’t know what mood the teacher’s in, whether he’s mad and swings 

too hard. And you can’t know how it’ll affect a child, whether a child will be bruised 

or injured or worse. This just shouldn’t happen in schools—not to anyone’s child. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Ms. Pee. 

I think one of the issues that I certainly have a problem with is 

that so many of us have spent time to reduce domestic violence, 

child abuse in every form, whether it is on the state or the local 

level, and yet here we have corporal punishment still going on in 

this country. 

I still don’t understand why someone in a school, which should 

be a safe place to be, would still agree that corporal punishment 

works, to hit a child, to beat a child. That is the part I am having 

a hard time understanding. 

I know that this will be a difficult subject for us to deal with here 

in Congress. I know there will be many battles going forward on 

why we should have corporal punishment, or it is a state right to 

have corporal punishment. But I believe that this is something that 

should be banned in this country. We are better than that. There 

are better ways to handle children that have discipline problems. 
29 

I guess the question that I will ask all of you on my first round, 

does this punishment contribute in any way, a positive way, to academic achievement or school climate? Could you sum up for me 

why in your opinion it is important for Congress to act to ban corporal punishment in schools. I know each of you have touched upon 

it, but a lot of times in 5 minutes you can’t put everything out that 

you would like to talk about. 

Doctor, if you would like to go first? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. First, I think it is important to realize that this 

is a historical perspective. As I mentioned, when this country was 

founded, it was founded on principles from Europe, England particularly, where corporal punishment at that time was accepted, so 

it just was natural to fit in. ‘‘Well, if it is good there, let us do it 

here.’’ And it was never really challenged. 

People assumed, ‘‘Well, if I hit a child, they will behave.’’ And 

there was very little research going on. So there has been a long 

history of this and a tendency to ignore the research. 

I think the second point is that the research which has been 

done—and I think it is important to stick to that and just say it 

would make sense not to hit a child, but in addition, if you are interested in improving the behavior, there are some teachers, principals, whomever in the school would hit a child out of an attempt 

to improve them. ‘‘You are not listening to me. I want to improve 

you.’’ 

This may be a youngster with attention deficit disorder. This 

may be a youngster with other problems that is impairing their 

learning, and the teacher becomes frustrated, the principal becomes frustrated, and so they want to do something. And they 

feel—some of them—that this will improve things. 

What I think Congress has to realize is that this attitude is continuing in this country. We have 20 states that still allow this, although within some of these states certain school districts have 

gone into this and tried to prevent this. And it is often the disadvantaged kids that get hit. When they have tried to go through 

the court system for a variety of reasons, they get turned away. 

They have not been protected. 

So I think it is important for Congress to realize that there are 

millions of our children who are being physically hurt in this way, 

not just paddling, but a variety of methods. And if Congress is interested in the academic success of the children—I know they are— 

this is not the way to do it, that this is the opposite will occur. 

And so if the school is doing something—the school officials—that 

is hurting the academic success of the student, they need to stop 

that. Schools are there to educate. I think when anyone looks at 

this, if they look at historical or other perspectives, they have to 

realize that those perspectives are wrong, that today we know from 

clear research, the vast majority of work done in behavioral 

sciences. 

Now, no research is perfect. You can always take one study, and 

I do that as a teacher with my students, and I can say, ‘‘Let us look 

at this study and let us look at what is good and bad about it.’’ 

There is no perfect study, but the vast majority of the literature, 

which is supported by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 
30 

and a wide range of medical and educational and other firms have 

looked at the data and said, ‘‘You know, it is true. When you hurt 

a child,’’ as I said in my testimony, ‘‘it destroys their ability to 

learn.’’ You turn out an angry, bitter individual, who has not only 

physical problems, as we heard, but severe mental problems, which 

they carry throughout their life. 

So I think that—and we are a violent enough society. The place 

to try to correct some of that violence is in the school. If we allow 

it to happen, it just—things it makes worse. And I think Congress 

should act, because we are now 200 and plus years of our country. 

It hasn’t happened. So it is time to protect the children, as I said 

in my remarks, that are in school today and will be in school for 

the rest of this century. And the impact of those children on their 

learning will be enormous. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Doctor. 

Ms. Frieler? 

Ms. FRIELER. You asked if there is ever a time when corporal 

punishment is effective. I can tell you no. In my opinion there is 

not. 

Schools are institutions of learning. Sometimes that is textbooks 

and subject matter, and sometimes that is life. And where I think 

it is really important, schools have a responsibility to teach our 

young people to be productive members of society. And when you 

throw, like in my school, 2,100 students from many different countries together, you have to teach kids how to get along. And that 

is a skill that they will learn not only in school and use not only 

in schools, but in life. 

And I think it is very important that you establish the right climate, and that is one of trust and one of security. In my testimony 

I mentioned the hierarchy of needs with Abraham Maslow, and it 

is important, because if kids don’t feel safe, they can’t learn. 

And so I think corporal punishment impedes that. It creates an 

environment of fear, where that learning doesn’t happen and where 

kids don’t become productive members. They learn that violence is 

okay, and they carry that throughout into adult life. And that affects communities as a whole and affects our entire country as a 

whole. 

I would urge Congress to very seriously consider abolishing corporal punishment in schools. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you. 

Ms. Gilbert? 

Ms. GILBERT. Your question was did the use of corporal punishment have an effect on academic success in the classroom. And in 

my opinion, I think it does. My job as a classroom teacher is to ensure that all my students are successful, and if they have been administered corporal punishment, oftentimes those kids come back 

into the classroom, and they are hostile, which causes more problems not only for you as a teacher, but for other students that are 

in the classroom. 

There have been several situations where I have actually talked 

to my students. In a lot of our kids, there is a lack of trust of the 

community. There is a lack of trust in the home. Many of the parents, as I mentioned in the testimony, are very young, and as a result a lot of the kids are acting out, because they want to be accept-
31 

ed. They want to have a sense of ownership. They want to feel important. And paddling or the use of corporal punishment is not 

doing that. 

Some kids that come from backgrounds where they have been 

beaten all the time, so if you administer at school, I mean, oftentimes the kids, the children have become desensitized to pain, so 

you are not really correcting the problem. And as Ms. Frieler mentioned earlier, we want our students, we want our children to be 

able to be productive citizens in society. And in doing that, you 

know, that goes beyond the textbook. That goes beyond the classroom lecture. 

Students need to be able to solve their conflicts, know how to sit 

down as adults and work situations out, because, I mean, if they 

are in an environment where there is violence, and if the only way 

they learn to handle that is through violence, we are creating a 

cycle that could explode. 

And I honestly feel that we should reconsider this. Corporal punishment should be banned. We should look at programs for parents. 

If we have younger parents, try to provide more parental programs 

to train parents how not—you really can’t get into the household, 

but to train parents or to provide, you know, some type of support 

system for young parents, so that way, when they are disciplining 

at home, that discipline will trickle down into the classroom, where 

there is no issue that teachers are dealing with, because when we 

are facing, it is really hard as a classroom teacher to teach, and 

then you have discipline problems. 

And then you can’t counsel or you—and you end up counseling, 

but there are so many other issues that we need to deal with. And 

corporal punishment in my opinion is not the answer. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Ms. Pee? 

Ms. PEE. I don’t think there is ever an opportunity where corporal punishment is appropriate or helpful. My daughter became 

fearful of going to school. She was fearful of the man that injured 

her. With the environment of intimidation and fear, there was always the fear of am I going to do something wrong. I don’t think 

there is ever an opportunity where it should be appropriate. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you. 

Mr. Guthrie? 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Thank you. Thank you very much. 

And thanks for coming to share your story, Ms. Pee. I know it 

is difficult sometimes and to come here and be in Washington and 

testify. I know that is—— 

Ms. PEE. Yes. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. I appreciate you doing that. 

And, Ms. Gilbert, thank you for the—any time you can reach in 

and bring something out of a student like you did with the art and 

make it a positive experience, I think that is great. My wife went 

to the University of North Alabama, so A&M was a big rival, but 

it was a friendly rivalry. We always loved those games. It was always fun. 

And then, Ms. Frieler, you were talking earlier on punishment 

and discipline, and I know the difference, corporal punishment, 

physical punishment. And you used that term differently, and take 

corporal punishment off the table, but punishment and discipline. 
32 

And what would you do when a child violates the rules and the 

positive stuff hasn’t worked? What does your school—how do you 

handle that? What type of disciplines, I guess, is the question. 

Ms. FRIELER. Well, I would say that discipline is a lot like learning, and if the student doesn’t know how to read, you provide interventions for them to make sure that the outcome is that they can 

read. The same thing is true with discipline. If a student doesn’t 

understand or chooses to not follow a rule, they have a consequence. If that continues, the consequences change, based on the 

severity of what happens to them. 

I have a whole variety of things that I can do. There is a code 

and conduct policy in our district that we follow, which is progressive. There is nothing in there that is physical, however, but it is 

a lot of communication with families. 

If that doesn’t work, we do have a social worker that helps us 

as well. There are times when we have to look at alternative placements for kids. That could be, depending on the severity of the situation, it could be a brief incarceration. It could be an expulsion. 

But our district also has programs for kids who are in those 

kinds of situations. And, you know, most of the times once that 

consequence is taken care of, they come back to my school, because 

they know it is a fair school to come to. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Do you mean incarceration for school infractions or 

something outside of school that is bigger than that? 

Ms. FRIELER. It would depend on the severity of what happened 

and where it happened. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Thanks. 

And then for Dr. Greydanus, I know on the studies in the physical, obviously, if you are not doing corporal punishment, you 

wouldn’t do physical. But what about other disciplines that people 

have? You said that there is physical and emotional stress. So if 

we are looking at other disciplines used in the school, would studies say that that is causing emotional stress? 

And I am just trying to figure out exactly—I know what you are 

saying about corporal punishment. I understand that, and I sympathize with that. I agree with that. But if we look at every other 

type of discipline in the school and say, ‘‘Well, that is going to 

cause some emotional stress,’’ where do we draw the—what is a 

good play to draw lines, as you said—— 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Well, the big difference is with corporal punishment, you are inducing physical pain, and it is very clear that if 

you induce physical pain, if a larger person, a person in authority, 

inflicts physical pain on someone who typically is a child—— 

Mr. GUTHRIE. I understand. I am just saying but a non-physical 

punishment can still induce emotional pain. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Well, it depends—— 

Mr. GUTHRIE. So where do you draw the line? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Yes, I think it depends—sure—on how you are 

going to define the non-physical situation. Teachers spend a lifetime learning the best way of communication. What it is really boiling down to is what we have all said. Children learn in a positive 

classroom. They bring their problems, their issues, good or bad, 

into the classroom, and then there is a teacher with the support 
33 

of other teachers and the support of the principal to induce a positive milieu or environment that they can learn. 

Any time you take away that positive environment, somebody 

yelling too much or someone in the classroom misbehaving, that 

certainly can disrupt that. The issue, really, is the physical pain 

causes both physical and emotional problems. 

And then from the viewpoint of the teacher, find out what the 

issue is. The other issue is if there is a behavior that you don’t like, 

is it really a problem? For example—— 

Mr. GUTHRIE. I think the question is, because I am going to run 

out of time, best practices on how to discipline, because there are 

kids that just won’t follow the rules. And whatever reason happens, 

outside the home, in the home, or whatever the reasons are, I 

mean, what are the best practices? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. If children do not obey the rules—and first that 

the rules are appropriate. Teachers have to establish sometimes. 

There was a famous court case where kids were giggling in a classroom in a hallway, just because kids will giggle, little girls, and 

then so—— 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Can you get water when you didn’t get permission 

to get water—— 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Is the behavior really that a problem? 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Some would say it is. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. And teachers have to learn that. Now, if the behavior is, then from the principle of counseling, you have to find 

out why the child is ‘‘misbehaving.’’ What is the underlying issue? 

Do they have attention deficit, and they can’t concentrate in the 

classroom? Do they have dyslexia, they are unable to read? Are 

they in a math class where they have severe math disability? Or 

are they having personal problems? 

Research shows that 20 percent of our children have mental 

health problems—depression, anxiety, a whole variety of issues. 

The issue is you have to find out why the child is misbehaving and 

then apply the appropriate treatment. Sometimes a teacher can be 

taught how to handle that. Sometimes, as we heard earlier, the 

student is beyond the control of the teacher or the school, and then 

we have alternatives. 

No teacher can help every child, but you find out why. And I 

spend a lot of my time in schools or consulting with schools or kids 

will refer to me in my teaching practice at my university, and we 

find out what is the problem. We do an intensive investigation of 

the family, of the individual, their learning ability, their mental 

health, physical, and you find out. 

If you find out what the issue is, you can usually devise the proper classroom. Sometimes they are in their own classroom, so—but 

you have to find out why. Before you hit the child—you shouldn’t 

anyway—but before you react, you have to find out what is the 

problem. 

The opponents against this will say, ‘‘Well, we don’t have time 

for that.’’ Well, that is your job as a teacher. My job is to find time 

to work with my patients coming in and take the time to deal with 

the issues. It is leadership, the teacher and the school, to take the 

time to find out why this youngster isn’t learning. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Thanks. I believe my time—— 
34 

Dr. GREYDANUS. It is a great question. It is not easy, but we can 

work together to do that. 

Mr. GUTHRIE. Okay. Thanks. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Thank you. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you, Mr. Guthrie. 

Ms. Shea-Porter? 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Thank you. 

And thank you for your testimony today. But before I even started school, I was afraid of school, because my brothers and sisters 

told me that I would get beaten, and they were right. I was beaten, 

and I was too afraid to even pick my head up when we were taking 

a test or working on anything. 

But one day apparently the two kids next to me, who never got 

a 100, got a 100, and I had a 100 also, and so they assumed that 

I had shared my work. And I remember that day like yesterday, 

that we were slapped. We wore cheat hats. We had to stand in the 

back. And this does stay in your memory. So I appreciate very 

much your being here and sharing the stories that you know. 

So I wanted to ask each one of you a question. 

Dr. Greydanus, I appreciate what you are doing, but what is happening with the pediatric community, with the physicians? Are 

they educating parents, telling them that this is something that 

they need to watch out for? Are they being advocates? What exactly 

is happening in the world of pediatricians, who are most likely to 

see or hear, or at least be able to ask a child? 

I never told my mother, by the way. My sisters and brothers and 

I just told each other. We never told our parents, even though we 

had a good relationship with them, because we were afraid. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Well, that is a great question. I am also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and I have done a lot 

of work with them. I—a book for them on caring for teenagers. And 

the answer is that a lot of education is done through American 

Academy of Pediatrics and to the pediatrician. 

I am also a pediatric program director. I train students to become pediatricians. And in our training we spend a lot of time 

working with them in schools, and there is a discipline called the 

school physician or school pediatrician, where you actually—our 

students and the residents will go into the school, meet with the 

teachers, meet with the principals, and establish a dialogue and by 

their finding out what is going on. 

Part of the curriculum is helping not to be a teacher and educator, but to help the parents and the child work. And I get constant 

referrals from kids that are school failures, doing poorly, who come 

into my clinic, because that is the type of work that I do, and I 

work with my residents, and we help them. 

So, yes, I think that the busy pediatrician is aware of this issue. 

They counsel parents how to raise kids. We counsel. If the school 

asks us, we work with the kids. So I think there is a lot that we 

are doing in terms of trying to teach anyone that will listen—the 

schools, our kids, the schools themselves, to help reduce the violence that they are seeing and also find out—again, the issue is 

why is the child misbehaving? And find out a reason. And usually 

you can find out why and implement some type of a help. And pediatricians are aware of this and are certainly trying—— 
35 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Another point is sometimes the children 

aren’t misbehaving at all. I mean, those two kids got a 100, and 

I got dragged into whatever it was, and I will never know. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Yes. 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. But I—— 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Many of the court cases that are famous in this, 

from the Ingraham one that was mentioned, others that are in my 

testimony, had to do with kids giggling in a classroom. 

It is also what we train the teachers, we train students, everybody, is that some ‘‘acting out’’ is normal behavior. It is actually 

when you become a teenager. In order for you to go from a child 

to an adult, many kids go through a phase of some rebellion, partly 

because their brain isn’t fully developed. They develop issues with 

puberty. A lot of things take place, and they need someone to help 

them. And some acting out is simply normal. That is why—— 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. I would hope that they would know that a lot 

of kids, as close as they might be to their parents, will not say anything and that the pediatrician—I think I was, like, 7 years old— 

and so, you know, it was a religious order as well, so they seemed 

to have flown in from above, and we were frightened of them. 

So it would be very helpful if the pediatrician is included that in 

sort of the general, you know, conversation with kids when they 

are small, because they feel like they can say it. My parents were 

horrified when they found out. 

Thank you very much. 

And, Ms. Frieler, I wanted to ask you are you having any problems in your district, because you refuse to use corporal punishment? Is this something that is catching on, or is the state generally ignoring what is happening in your district? 

Ms. FRIELER. I don’t have any problems with that. In fact, our 

district policy doesn’t allow it. You know, we can only use physical 

intervention if the student is in danger of harming themselves or 

somebody else. But we are not allowed to use corporal punishment. 

I am trying to think of an area in Colorado where it is actually 

there. I suspect it might be a rural area, but I know in the major 

metro areas of Colorado, it isn’t allowed, and there are district policies against it. 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Okay. 

And I had one last question. Ms. Gilbert, is there some kind of 

hotline for teachers? Is there a place where teachers can call to get 

some extra assistance, if they really don’t want to identify themselves, but they feel like they are, you know, often right on the 

verge of losing control? Is there a number that they can reach out 

and feel confident that they can get some help without actually 

having to identify themselves? And would that warrant that? 

Ms. GILBERT. No, as of now there is not anything in place for 

teachers. We communicate amongst ourselves, but there is no outlet or hotline to, I guess, to vent or if there was any issues. No, 

we don’t have that. 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Do you think that would be helpful for those 

that might not want to talk right away to their peers and identify 

themselves? 

Ms. GILBERT. I think—identify themselves in terms of being—— 
36 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Of just feeling like they are right on the edge, 

you know, that they are—— 

Ms. GILBERT. I think it will be very helpful. I mean, I think a 

lot of teachers get burned out easily, because we are dealing with 

different issues, and if every district has its own set of issues, the 

teachers are beginning to get burned out a lot easier, a lot quicker. 

And I think a lot of it has to do with discipline issues and, you 

know, other things or whatever. And I think if there was a sort of 

hotline, that teachers could, you know, to speak out for, you know, 

to vent or whatever, I think that will be very helpful. 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Thank you. 

Ms. GILBERT. You are welcome. 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. I yield back. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you. 

I just want to mention that Monday I was in one of my grade 

schools, which had started a program a year ago. This committee 

deals with childhood nutrition, and some of us have been trying to 

push physical education in that. One of the classrooms that started 

just about a year ago now, 10 minutes three times a day, especially 

in the lower grades, they stand by their desks, and they do physical 

activity. With it is a lesson plan on history or, you know, they pick 

up rocks, but these are all exercises. 

One of the questions I had to a number of the teachers was how 

was the discipline in the classroom. And they said it changed like 

night and day. Children have a lot of energy, as we all know. So 

there are ways that we can hopefully work towards the end that 

would even lessen the stress in the classroom. 

Mr. Platts? 

Mr. PLATTS. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I apologize for my 

late arrival. 

Very much appreciate each of you being here today and sharing 

your oral testimony as well as your written testimony. 

I am a parent of a seventh grader and a fifth grader, and so, Dr. 

Graydanus, I appreciate your statement that I think you said some 

acting out is normal, and we should understand and appreciate 

that. I can well attest to that as a parent of two very active boys, 

who are great students and very well behaved most of the time, but 

they are kids, and we need to understand that and how we respond 

at home and in the classroom. 

I want to start, Ms. Gilbert. You talked about how you have kind 

of turned your classroom around and the school, and your principal 

has turned the process around in discipline and wish you well and 

understand this coming year is going to be in the new building. 

Ms. GILBERT. 2011—that is the plan. 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes, I hope that goes well. And that has got to be 

an exciting time for you as a teacher. 

The engagement—one of the things that I didn’t see in your written testimony, and you may have addressed this, but the engagement of parents. You mentioned that you have a very transient 

student population, so I am sure that is harder to make those connections with parents in that type of setting, and also single parent 

homes that you mentioned have a high percentage. 

Is there an organized effort in your building, or is it, again, just 

to you as an individual teacher in how to try and engage parents 
37 

when you do have a disciplinary issue in addition to what you do 

with the student in the classroom, how you inform or engage a parent to hopefully complement and back up what you are doing and 

not erode what you are trying to do? 

Ms. GILBERT. Well, as I mentioned, we do have a social worker, 

and the social worker has played an intricate role in trying to get 

parents involved. There is no set program as of now, but under the 

principal and the social worker have worked together on trying to 

create programs to get the parents more involved. Our social worker has visited homes. He has been very involved with talking to the 

teachers and kind of giving us feedback on some different issues 

that the student may be facing. 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. 

Ms. GILBERT. And that kind of helps you to, I guess, deal with 

the situation a little bit better when you know the child’s background. 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. 

Ms. GILBERT. I really believe in strong parenting, and I think 

that, you know, we are falling from that to a certain degree. The 

village is no longer in existence. You have a community school. You 

have the parents aren’t interacting with teachers in the communities, because a lot of times the teachers no longer live in the communities in which they teach, and so there is a disconnect. 

You know, a lot of our kids are suffering. They have no sense of 

identity, no sense of character. And a lot of that goes back to if 

these things were instilled in them, they would respect themselves 

a lot better, and that is something that we are lacking in our 

schools and in our homes. You know, education means to bring out 

something, and you can’t bring out something when there is nothing here. So I think getting parents involved will be a tremendous 

difference in what happens in the schools. 

Mr. PLATTS. I couldn’t agree more, and your example of the 

young lady that when you empowered her as your aide or, you 

know, student aide, and the sense of self-worth that she obviously 

took from helping you that she apparently wasn’t getting elsewhere, and especially at home, is a perfect example of that. 

And I think it is one of the challenges of schools today that all 

too often you are not just an educator. You are the disciplinarian. 

The school is the provider of the meals, health care, you know, everything. And, you know, that is a tremendous challenge, so that 

empowering of students, as you are doing, I think is key. 

Ms. GILBERT. Can I say one more thing? 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. 

Ms. GILBERT. An incident just happened last week. There was a 

young lady and a young man in the hallway, and they were both 

exchanging profanities towards each other in a playful way. Typically, you know, that meant them written up and personally taking 

them to the office. So I took the young lady and said, ‘‘Young ladies 

shouldn’t respond that way. A young lady shouldn’t use profanity. 

If you want them to respect you, you have to first respect yourself.’’ 

And she said, ‘‘Okay,’’ you know. 

Well, at the end of the day we were walking out. I was with the 

school librarian, and this young lady touched me and she said, 

‘‘You know what? You taught me something today.’’ I mean, I want-
38 

ed to cry, because that meant more to me than, you know, writing 

her up, sending her to the office—— 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. 

Ms. GILBERT [continuing]. And having her suspended or paddled 

or whatever. And that just happened last week, as a matter of fact. 

Mr. PLATTS. Well, my youngest sister—I am the fourth of five, 

and the fifth of five, my sister Jill, is a teacher, now social worker 

in the school for one of my local school districts. And she is the perfect person, and it sounds like similar to you. She has a heart of 

gold, but she won’t take anything from everybody. 

And it is finding that balance of when the heart needs to come 

through versus, you know, the being a little more stern or strict in 

dealing with especially the families and, as you said, learning the 

environment from which some of these children are coming. And 

they are not learning respect and discipline at home, and you are 

helping to do that. 

That had to be extremely rewarding to—— 

Ms. GILBERT. It was. 

Mr. PLATTS [continuing]. End that day. 

Madam Chair, if I can squeeze in. 

Ms. Pee, your interactions with the school board and principal 

and things, obviously, not satisfactory in interaction. One of the 

things I am curious whether it ever came up in your dialog with 

the school board how to prevent what happened to your daughter, 

where you had clearly made your thoughts known—no, I do not 

want corporal punishment—especially after what happened the 

first time, and yet it happened. 

Did they consider a reverse? You know, now they are requiring 

you to send a form in to give that you are okay, that they have a 

policy that unless they have a form on hand, they may not engage 

in it, so in other words it is not, you know, you coming in saying, 

‘‘Hey, I disapprove,’’ but before they could go and engage in a corporal punishment with a student, that they would have to say, 

‘‘Yes, here is the form. You can engage in the punishment.’’ 

Ms. PEE. No, actually, what they did was change the policy of 

wherein the parent has to physically come to the school and sign 

the form stating they cannot receive corporal punishment. 

Mr. PLATTS. So that actually is a positive. It is erring on the side 

of no corporal punishment unless a parent makes extra effort to 

come in person and—and approve it. 

Ms. PEE. And if they do not want their child to receive corporal 

punishment. You know I am not sure—— 

Mr. PLATTS. The form they sign is saying they do not want it, 

so meaning they assume that you can engage in corporal punishment unless you come to the school and say no. 

Ms. PEE. Exactly. 

Mr. PLATTS. So it is the opposite of what it should be, in my 

opinion. 

Ms. PEE. Exactly. And in my opinion as well. 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. That is pretty amazing. I would think especially today with the knowledge we have that they would err on the 

side of no corporal punishment unless you proactively approve it. 

Ms. PEE. Yes. It seems they made it harder for those parents 

who do not want corporal punishment administered on their chil-
39 

dren and made it even harder for those parents to opt out of corporal punishment. 

Mr. PLATTS. Yes. Sounds like we need to get this panel to do a 

road trip and visit your school district—— 

Ms. PEE. That would be great. 

Mr. PLATTS [continuing]. And share your knowledge. 

Ms. PEE. That would be great. 

Mr. PLATTS. I know I am over my time. I want to just thank you 

again and especially your written testimony. With being late for 

the oral testimony, to have your expertise and knowledge is very 

helpful. To all of you and especially in the scope within the classroom, you know, I think of teaching as a very high calling. 

And I just wrote a note on a letter I signed this morning back 

to a constituent, who I never had, but was a teacher at my high 

school for 30 years. And the note on it was that I readily admit 

that any successes I have had has been attributable to my parents’ 

upbringing and my education K-12 in that school district, York 

suburban. 

And so the difference you are making, like that young lady just 

last week, will benefit them for the rest of their lives. So thank 

you. 

Yield back. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you. 

Mr. Polis? 

Mr. POLIS. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

This has been a very educational hearing. I was very dismayed 

to see on the list that is an exhibit that corporal punishment U.S. 

schools, Colorado had eight students that were beat by their teachers or principals. I certainly hope that those teachers and principals involved lost their jobs or were reprimanded or held criminally responsible where appropriate. 

But even more shockingly, some states have enormous numbers—49,000 kids in Texas were beat up at school by their other 

teachers or principals, and in Mississippi 38,000, which is 7.5 percent of the kids in school in Mississippi. So it seems like this practice of beating up kids in school by teachers and principals is very 

widespread in Mississippi. And this comes as a wake-up call to me. 

I will certainly be joining the chairwoman’s bill as a co-sponsor. 

In my experience in Colorado on the State Board of Education, 

I had not heard of this. And this said eight people in Colorado were 

beat. Hopefully, those teachers were removed. 

But there must be many teachers and principals that are 

complicit with this in Texas and Mississippi and Alabama and Arkansas and Georgia. And they still have their jobs after beating up 

kids as a regular thing at school. 

I just don’t understand it. I mean it is completely inappropriate, 

so I hope that we make sure that kids feel safe at school, wherever 

they attend in this country, especially considering that the schools 

are recipients of federal dollars. I think that is an important thing 

to do. 

But my question is about, you know, in terms of behavioral supports, there are many things that schools do to enforce discipline, 

the positive behavioral supports, and they are critical. And in the 
40 

testimony from Ms. Gilbert, she mentioned the important role of 

the school social worker in helping to improve the climate. 

Now, one of the problems we face is that not all schools have social workers. It has been an area that has been cut back. And I am 

wondering if she can elaborate briefly on the importance of school 

social psychologists and the school counselors and improving student behavior and if she has any specific suggestions that Congress 

should address in reauthorizing ESEA. 

Ms. GILBERT. I think our social worker, as I mentioned, has 

played an intricate role. Many of our schools in the district, we are 

fortunate to have a social worker because of funding. Typically, 

counselors on a secondary level don’t have the time to counsel our 

kids, because they are preoccupied with testing and other paperwork, whereas before, you know, I guess years ago, their role was 

different. 

So a lot of the kids or children, students, don’t have that outlet. 

And having a social worker present or a school psychiatrist has 

been very—is helpful because it allows the children or the students 

to have someone to talk with. And then that person can also serve 

as a liaison between the students—I mean, the teachers as well as 

the—— 

I think that if Congress looked at putting more funding into 

schools and providing schools with a school psychologist as well as 

school social workers, I think a lot of things will be eliminated. And 

that is, you know, that is my view on that for some—— 

Mr. POLIS. I would open it up to the rest of the panel. You know, 

again, there is obviously a need. There is a way to do it, and there 

is a way not to, and there are many successful strategies that 

schools have to deal with positive behavioral support, providing a 

safe climate, discipline, et cetera. 

What can Congress do in ESEA reauthorization to ensure the 

successful implementations of programs in our public schools that 

help to improve school safety and promote student well-being, both 

physical and mental? What suggestions do you have? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. I can speak on a personal level. One of my four 

daughters that I mentioned is an elementary school teacher, and 

she was a consultant on one of my papers I wrote on corporal punishment in schools. And I have had long conversations with her 

and other teachers. 

And from her and other teachers I have learned that—and the 

old expression it takes a village to raise a child—you can’t expect 

a teacher all by himself, herself, to do everything. They have to 

have support. So if Congress, and I know you are, if the government, and I know the government is serious about academic success, you have to give the teachers enough education, but also the 

supports. 

In those school where my daughter Marissa is an elementary 

school teacher, they have a social worker. They have a school counselor, someone who is identified to help. So this particular year she 

got a very tough class. She moved into a new school system, and 

the other teachers gave her the toughest kids. And I have had long 

talks with her. I have been her personal consultant on this. And 

first, do not hit them, which she wouldn’t. I didn’t hit my kids, and 

so they have learned you don’t hit. 
41 

It is frustrating. It is not easy, but they have a social worker, 

they have a school counselor. And then what the teacher should do 

is also the principal, hopefully having a supportive principal, is 

refer them on for more help. Or the teacher can call the parent in 

and say, ‘‘We are having trouble. I don’t know why. We need to find 

out what is going on.’’ 

I get a lot of referrals, for example, in that regard. So I think 

it has to be—and if the school says we do not have the money, then 

there needs to be funding. Parents need to get involved. Most parents that I have talked to, when they understand that the school 

needs help, would jump in and provide help. 

So it is a combination of the parent being aware of this, of the 

school getting the funding, funding being available. If we are interested in the academic success of our children, we have to provide 

the teachers and principals with the help and support that they 

need, both educationally, but also additional people. Nobody—certainly, a doctor doesn’t do his work all by himself. You have a variety of people that—you have a variety of help to do your job. They 

need the same thing. 

Thank you. 

Mr. POLIS. Thank you. Just real quickly, I just find it remarkable 

that while many of us here are very concerned student safety—I 

have a bill, the Student Nondiscrimination Act, that helped reduce—against kids—here we have situations where the teachers 

and principals are actually beating kids. And these are supposed 

to be the staff of the school that helps protect kids and provides 

a safe learning environment, and they are actually perpetrating 

acts of violence against the kids. So I truly hope that we here in 

Congress and the states can do something about this. 

And I yield back. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Thank you. 

Mr. Scott? 

Mr. SCOTT. Thank you. 

And I want to thank all of our witnesses. 

Dr. Greydanus, it seems to me the evidence is so clear that it is 

not only not helpful, but actually counterproductive in terms of behavior modification. Does the research suggests that if our goal was 

to increase violence amongst children, that corporal punishment 

would be one of the initiatives that we would—— 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Yes, if your purpose is to—not that the research 

started out to look at that, but if the research—and again, there 

is a vast majority of research. You can always pick one or two papers apart. You can always take a couple of papers and say, ‘‘I 

looked at the students. They are physically abused. They were hurt 

in school, and they are okay.’’ But the majority of the literature 

will suggest that that is not the case. 

And again, what the research very clearly shows is that these 

children become very angry, and not just the children who are hit, 

but the witnesses. It is witness damage. There was a wonderful 

paper done years ago looking at post-traumatic stress disorder. As 

a Vietnam veteran, I certainly learned a lot about, as a doctor, 

treating people with that. 

It is an educationally induced post-traumatic stress disorder that 

a number of kids get in this and become more violent, more angry. 
42 

Some kids when they get upset, they become violent. Some become 

suicidal and kill themselves. There are a variety of ways that 

human beings react to very difficult stress, much like soldiers do, 

much like the military—— 

Mr. SCOTT. But none of them sound like the reaction is very 

good. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. The reaction is always negative for their physical health, their mental health, and certainly their academic wellbeing for a lifetime is really poor. 

Mr. SCOTT. We know that all of the witnesses here today oppose 

corporal punishment. Normally, in research there is a concept 

called peer review. If someone had showed up today to testify in 

favor of corporal punishment, what would the research community 

say about their testimony? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. They would say that they would look at a particular study. And I teach my students how to do this, because it 

is a good exercise. As a professor, I can take any study and show 

you the flaws in the study. So what you have to do is look at each 

study is not perfect, but where is it going? What is it saying? 

There are a few studies that will say, ‘‘I looked at these kids. 

They had corporal punishment, and I can’t find any harm.’’ That 

is the minority. And when you look at those studies, they are usually not very well done. So those folks would say, ‘‘I don’t believe 

that research. I believe the minority report.’’ And you always have 

that back and forth. 

What you have to do is say, ‘‘What do the experts—where do they 

fall in line?’’ And the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and on and on, have said, ‘‘We believe the 

majority of the literature, which shows very clearly when you look 

at it, that these kids are harmed.’’ 

Mr. SCOTT. Now, Ms. Gilbert, you mentioned the concept of positive—excuse me—positive reinforcement. How does that compare to 

punishment as a strategy to change behavior? 

Ms. GILBERT. Well, positive reinforcement, you are punishing a 

child, but typically with positive reinforcement, the one thing I 

have done, you know, you talk to the child. Why are you being punished? Have them articulate why they are being punished. There 

has to be discipline, and oftentimes there is discipline. 

But to me, in my opinion, if you change that discipline and 

change it into something positive, start highlighting the child’s 

strengths—‘‘Well, you maybe talk in class, but you are also good at 

this’’—and take something away from them, but at the same time, 

you give them something that is going to improve their learning or 

improve their behavior. 

Mr. SCOTT. In terms of behavior modification, when you catch 

them doing something good and reinforce that, are they more likely 

do that again? Are they more likely to continue in that good practice? 

Ms. GILBERT. Right. 

Mr. SCOTT. Dr. Greydanus, there is a concept of primary prevention. How does that fit into this discussion? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. Well, the issue, I think, in terms of avoiding 

prevention, violence, is to prevent the issue in the first place, to 
43 

surround a child with minimal violence in their life, whether it be 

in the school, the classroom. 

As a pediatrician, we teach our residents, and we work with our 

pediatricians to look at the preventive side. It is very hard to take 

the child who has been physically, mentally traumatized and has 

reacted in a very negative way, and then turn around and fix this 

in a quick manner. And some of these kids are literally traumatized for life. So the way to start is as early as possible in trying 

to surround that individual with as much nonviolence as possible. 

Now, we are a violent world, violent society. That is not easy. 

But the school should always be a beacon, so starting with kindergarten, teachers, principals, with other people helping them, working with these kids. If they start acting up in kindergarten, first, 

second grade, refer them and find out what is the problem. We surround them with prevention. That is very important. Don’t wait 

until they are eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh grades and they have 

been witnessing this for a long time. 

The other thing is you can protect the witnesses. As I said earlier, that if you witness violence, that can be very traumatic to one 

as well, so by preventing the violence in the school system to these 

individuals, you are also preventing the trauma of the witnesses. 

You are preventing that ongoing mental health issues that sometimes you can’t see the negative effects on a particular student, but 

the witnesses are having problems, because human personality can 

sometimes react in different ways. So prevention is very important. 

Mr. SCOTT. And if you do a good job with primary prevention, 

would you also not only reduce crime, but also dropouts, teen pregnancy, and other negative outcomes? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. I think that, along with many other factors, because when the child goes through several years of corporal punishment and now they are in junior high, elementary school, you have 

an additional issue, and it is called puberty. You have hormones increasing. You have this drive to be independent. You have this 

drive somewhat to be rebellious in some kids, which society has 

complained about for thousands of years. 

And so when you come into your puberty years angry, upset, 

abused, it is just like a fire, and then you are adding gasoline to 

the fire, and it blows up in a variety of negative ways in terms of 

not just school dropout, but kids, what do you do when you drop 

out of school? These kids get more to drug abuse than others. They 

get more into crime. Many of these kids end up in a juvenile home, 

juvenile courts, jails, and so forth. 

So it is like setting a pebble in a pond. It just spreads. The idea 

is to keep the pebble from hitting the pond, and the good you would 

do over this century will be enormous. 

Mr. SCOTT. Could you talk about the importance of extracurricular activities? Are they important in helping modify behavior, Ms. Gilbert? 

Ms. GILBERT. Well, when I first started teaching at my school, 

there was very low student morale. We had a football team, but it 

was not—they were losing, and the band didn’t have uniforms and 

everything, so our—we are under new administration, and so the 

school band received new uniforms. 
44 

And more people started going out for the football team, and the 

school morale began to change, because the students that may have 

been in the streets, that may have caused problems, they had a 

sense of ownership. They had something that they felt important 

for. They were able to play football. The football team started winning. 

The band started winning competitions, and the students very 

proud because they had new uniforms, and they could be proud of 

their uniforms. They could go out and perform in front of other 

schools. 

And I think that having that outlet, you know, keeping our kids 

off of the streets, because typically when a child goes home, the 

parent is not there, and it leaves more room to get involved with 

unnecessary issues, whether it is illegal or, you know, illegal or 

whatever. I think that that has been very helpful in my situation 

just with other extracurricular activity for the students, you know, 

to do. 

Ms. Frieler? 

Ms. FRIELER. I would concur with that. I think that the whole 

issue is establishing a positive culture and climate, is getting kids 

to feel like they are part of the school and that school is a part of 

them. And the ownership piece comes in the classroom, yes, but it 

also comes with the extracurricular activities and feeling proud 

about your school and wanting to represent your school in a positive manner. 

I think coaches are integral in that. A good coach can establish 

that kind of a feeling and that pride that a kid has in their school 

and how to represent their schools in that way. And once you have 

that pride and you have that culture and climate, the chances of 

having serious discipline infractions diminishes. Kids come to 

school because they feel good about being there. They want to represent their school in a positive light in the community as well. It 

has ripple effects throughout. 

Dr. GREYDANUS. And let me just add to that if the child can go 

to school and find a teacher who is kind to them, even if they are 

in a negative environment for whatever reason, if they can have a 

teacher who values them as a human being, if they have a coach 

who says you are special, if they have a school counselor or social 

worker, even if they are in a violent other area, that add so much. 

Let me give you an example, if you forgive me, from my Vietnam 

days. I remember being a physician on our warships, and I would 

counsel kids that were 18, 19 years of age in a war situation, and 

they would be very upset. And I found it very helpful to them to 

say to them, ‘‘You know how much this government cares for you? 

It cares for you, because it put you with captains who are very well 

trained, officers who are well trained. They put you, yes, in potential harm’s way, but they surrounded you with people who care 

about you. They even care about you. They take somebody like me, 

a physician, who was in a private world, pluck me out of some 

training, and put me here to be at your beckon call 24 hours away. 

This government and we care so much about you. I am here, the 

officers are here, and we are protecting you. We are helping you.’’ 

And that sense of protection, which the school, the teachers, the 

coach, the principal, can surround somebody, even if the rest of 
45 

your world is negative, will have positive effects, that pond effect, 

for the rest of their lives. It is a beautiful thing to see, and I am 

sure everyone in this room has had a teacher who made them feel 

comfortable and make them feel happy and said, ‘‘You are special, 

and you can accomplish something in the world.’’ And that is what 

sometimes is missing. If you hit them, it doesn’t work. 

Mr. SCOTT. And so how does corporal punishment fit into that 

concept? 

Dr. GREYDANUS. I think because it doesn’t. You can’t say you are 

a special human being, but I have to make you more special. I will 

hit you. It doesn’t work. Some people believe that, but it makes the 

thing worse. 

Once you hit someone, you are physically abusive. Whether it is 

the husband to the wife or vice versa or it is somebody in authority 

over you, you have destroyed that whole relationship. And it will 

take sometimes years, a lifetime to recover from that. It is truly 

abusive. And as we all agree, it must be stopped. And if the local 

districts, states, people won’t stop it, you have to step in and do it, 

and you have that power to do that. 

Thank you. 

Ms. PEE. May I respond? 

One thing that I see in the South where—in Mississippi, where 

this has happened with my daughter, and I know other Southern 

states, sports are really a big thing, and sports are a good thing 

to keep children busy and focused and something to give them 

pride in. 

But sometimes administrators, schools and teachers will use corporal punishment as a way to keep that child playing in that game. 

If they do something wrong and they can have corporal punishment 

or they can have in-school suspension, if they have in-school suspension, they are not allowed to play in that game. If they receive 

corporal punishment, then they can go play in that game that 

night. 

And we found in the school that they are giving children the 

choice. They are asking the children, ‘‘Would you prefer one or two 

licks, or do you want to go to ISS for 2 days?’’ And I don’t believe 

that should be a child’s—that should not be a child’s choice. They 

don’t have the maturity level to make such choices. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. I want to thank you all for your testimony. I am going to be closing the hearing, but if there is anyone 

on the panel that feels they need to add something or something 

that maybe we haven’t covered, we haven’t talked about, now is 

your time to speak up. 

Ms. FRIELER. I would just like to say I am a parent of two children, and my kids know that I have 2,100 kids. And those are the 

kids in my school. And every day I walk into that school, I treat 

them as I would treat my own children. Parents send us their very 

best, and our job isn’t to punish for the sake of punishment. It is 

to have discipline being a learning experience, and the ultimate 

goal of that is that they don’t do the same thing again, they learn 

from that. 

The critical piece in school is to develop that climate and culture 

so that that doesn’t happen. And eventually when that works, the 
46 

1 1976-2004 Elementary and Secondary Schools Survey. Washington, DC: Office of Civil 

Rights, US Department of Education. 2 American Correctional Association, ‘‘Standards for Juvenile Correctional Facilities,’’ 3-JTS3A-31, February 2003 

kids take care of it themselves. You will hear kids in the hall saying, ‘‘Hey, we don’t do that here.’’ And they will help you with it. 

And if you want to turn a school around, you talk to the kids and 

you work with the kids, because eventually the kids, they do have 

that pride in their school. They want to go to a place that is safe. 

They want to go to a place where learning takes place, and they 

will help you do it. 

And, you know, I don’t have to go to work today. I get—or I don’t 

have to go to work every day. I get to go to work. And it is a great 

place to be. It is a great place to work with kids, and I think if we 

can focus on the positive in schools and take out that punitive piece 

of corporal punishment, we will be a lot better with schools. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. Well, I want to thank everybody here. 

Again, for the first time since 1992, this committee has heard testimony on this very important issue. Our witnesses have told us why 

paddling in schools is not an effective method of discipline and how 

it has a negative effect on academic success. Our witnesses have 

given us real world examples of the problems surrounding paddling 

in schools, and also the solutions and better practices. 

As I stated earlier, I am planning on introducing a bill that 

would address this issue very soon, and I look forward to working 

with my colleagues here on it. 

I want to thank all our witnesses for being here today. 

We have had a great deal of interest in this hearing, and several 

groups have asked to submit testimony for the record. Without objection, I would like to introduce testimony from the NEA, the PTA, 

the ACLU, ‘‘The School Psychologist,’’ and NAESP, Women’s Law 

Center, Dignity in Schools, a group which consists of 42 organizations and 31 individuals, including 15 organizations from states 

that allow corporal punishment, and the Secular Coalition for 

America. Without objection, I will submit this for the record. 

[The information follows:] 

Prepared Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a non-profit professional organization 

of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists, and pediatric 

surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults, appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony 

for the record for the April 15, 2010 hearing of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, entitled ‘‘Corporal Punishment in 

Schools and its Effect on Academic Success.’’ 

The American Academy of Pediatrics is unequivocally opposed to the use of corporal punishment in schools and recommends that it be abolished by law in every 

state. According to the Department of Education, hundreds of thousands of children 

are subjected to corporal punishment in public schools each year, and racial minorities and children with disabilities are subjected to corporal punishment at 

disproportionally high rates.1 Corporal punishment includes, but is not limited to, 

a wide variety of methods of punishment, including hitting, spanking, kicking, shaking, shoving, use of various objects (wood paddles, belts, sticks), painful body postures (i.e. placing in closed spaces), and use of excessive exercise drills. Corporal 

punishment has already been abolished in almost all juvenile correction facilities in 

the United States, and yet it continues to be a common practice in elementary, middle and high schools across the country.2
47 

3 Cryan JR. The banning of corporal punishment in child care, school and other educative settings in the United States. Child Educ. 1987; 63:146-153. 4Dubanoski RA, Inaba M, Gerkewicz BA. Corporal punishment in schools (Myths, problems, 

and alternatives). Child Abuse Negl. 1983;7:271—278. 5Moelis CS. Banning corporal punishment (A crucial step toward preventing child abuse). 

Child Legal Rights J. 1988;9:2—5. 6Gainer PS, Webster SW, Champion HR. A youth violence prevention program: Description 

and preliminary evaluation. Arch Surg 1993; 128:303-8. 

Corporal punishment can cause immediate physical pain, as well as lasting injuries, including muscle damage, abrasions, lacerations, whiplash injury, serious 

hematomas, broken bones and other injuries that may require hospitalization.3 In 

addition, corporal punishment can result in increased behavioral problems and mental distress as children are humiliated and degraded in front of their peers. Victims 

of corporal punishment have been shown to experience increased anger, outbursts 

of aggression, difficulty with concentration, lowered school achievement, and other 

negative behaviors.4 For some children, corporal punishment in school may continue 

a cycle of similar punishment at home that contributes to an overall increase in aggressiveness in the child. 

Studies have unambiguously shown that corporal punishment is an ineffective 

method of discipline and no evidence exists that such punishment leads to better 

control in the classroom.5 Other behavioral interventions that utilize positive reinforcement techniques and reward appropriate behavior are more effective and have 

longer lasting impacts than corporal punishment.6 Teachers and school administrators should be supported in receiving as much training as possible to augment their 

efforts to maintain effective classroom control without the use of corporal punishment. 

The attached AAP policy statement, ‘‘Corporal Punishment in Schools,’’ provides 

further detail and support for our recommendation of abolishing corporal punishment in all schools. The AAP commends the Subcommittee for holding this hearing 

and drawing more attention to the emotionally and physically damaging practice of 

corporal punishment. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony for the record. If the AAP may be of further assistance, please contact Cindy 

Pellegrini or Dan Gage in our Washington, D.C. office at 202/347-8600. 

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS 

COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL HEALTH

Corporal Punishment in Schools 

ABSTRACT. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that corporal punishment in schools be abolished in all states by law and that alternative forms of student behavior management be used. 

It is estimated that corporal punishment is administered between 1 and 2 million 

times a year in schools in the United States.1 Increasingly, states are abolishing corporal punishment as a means of discipline, but statutes in some states still allow 

school officials to use this form of discipline.2·4

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that corporal punishment may affect adversely a student’s self-image and school achievement and that it may contribute to disruptive and violent student behavior.1,5·7 Alternative methods of behavioral management have proved more effective than corporal punishment and are 

specifically described in the reference articles.5·7 Physical force or constraint by a 

school official may be required in a limited number of carefully selected circumstances to protect students and staff from physical injury, to disarm a student, 

or to prevent property damage. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents, educators, school administrators, school board members, legislators, and others to seek the legal prohibition by 

all states of corporal punishment in schools and to encourage the use of alternative 

methods of managing student behavior. 

Committee on School Health, 1999–2000 

HOWARD L. TARAS, MD, Chairperson, 

DAVID A. CIMINO, MD; JANE W. MCGRATH, MD; ROBERT D. MURRAY, MD. 

The recommendations in this statement do not indicate an exclusive course of 

treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account 
48 

individual circumstances, may be appropriate. PEDIATRICS (ISSN 0031 4005). 

Copyright (c) 2000 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

WAYNE A. YANKUS, MD; THOMAS L. YOUNG, MD. 

Liaisons 

Evan Pattishall III, MD American School Health Association Missy Fleming, PhD 

American Medical Association 

Maureen Glendon, RNCS, MSN, CRNP National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners 

Lois Harrison-Jones, EdD American Association of School Administrators 

Linda Wolfe, RN, BSN, MEd, CSN National Association of School Nurses 

Jerald L. Newberry, MEd National Education Association, Health Information Network 

Mary Vernon, MD, MPH Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Consultant 

Paula Duncan, MD 

Staff 

Su Li, MPA 

ENDNOTES

1 1986—1987 Elementary and Secondary Schools Civil Rights Survey, National Summary of 

Projected Data. Washington, DC: Office of Civil Rights, US Department of Education; 1987 2The National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives. States Which 

Have Abolished Corporal Punishment as a Means of Discipline in the Schools. Philadelphia, PA: 

Temple University; 1994 3Dolins JC, Christoffel KK. Reducing violent injuries: priorities for pediatrician advocacy. Pediatrics. 1994;94:638—651 4 1990 Elementary Secondary School Civil Rights Survey, National State Summary of Projected Data. Washington, DC: Office of Civil Rights, US Department of Education; 1992 5Poole SR, Ushkow MC, Nader PR, et al. The role of the pediatrician in abolishing corporal 

punishment in schools. Pediatrics. 1991;88:162—176 6 Hyman IA, Wise JH, eds. Corporal Punishment in American Education: Readings in History, 

Practice and Alternatives. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press; 1979 7 Hyman HA, McDowell E, Raines B. In: Wise JH, ed. Proceedings: Conference on Corporal 

Punishment in the Schools: A National Debate. Washington, DC: National Institute of Education; 1977 

Prepared Statement of the Dignity in Schools Campaign 

DEAR CHAIRWOMAN MCCARTHY, RANKING MEMBER PLATTS, AND SUBCOMMITTEE

MEMBERS: We, the undersigned parents, students, educators, researchers, and civil 

rights and educational organizations, support your effort to address the important 

issues to be raised in the upcoming hearing, ‘‘Corporal Punishment in Schools and 

its Effect on Academic Success.’’ We urge the Subcommittee on Healthy Families 

and Communities, in reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

(ESEA), to devote serious attention to the impact that corporal punishment and 

school discipline have on the health and academic success of our nation’s students 

and schools. 

Maintaining a safe and healthy instructional climate is a critical responsibility of 

schools in the 21st century. Student behavior and academic achievement are inseparable, and safer schools are higher achieving schools. Unfortunately, many schools 

rely only on physical punishment and exclusionary practices—suspension, expulsion, 

and arrest—to maintain discipline and safety. Rather than contribute to a better 

learning environment, these practices can make matters worse for the health and 

success of our schools and the students in them. 

Currently, twenty states allow corporal punishment in schools (‘‘corporal punishment states’’). A comparison of the academic results of these states against the rest 

of the country suggests that corporal punishment negatively impacts academic success. None of the corporal punishment states scored in the top twenty percent in 

8th grade performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 

Yet sixty percent of the corporal punishment states scored below average or worse 

in 8th grade performance on the NAEP. Two-thirds of states that do not allow corporal punishment in schools had graduation rates above the national average in 

2004, while 57% of corporal punishment states had graduation rates below the national average that year. 

The use of corporal punishment in schools appears to damage the bonds between 

students and educators, further harming students’ academic potential. The Society 
49 

for Adolescent Medicine has found that victims of corporal punishment often develop 

deteriorating peer relationships, difficulty with concentration, lowered school 

achievement, antisocial behavior, intense dislike of authority, a tendency for school 

avoidance and school drop-out, and other evidence of negative high-risk adolescent 

behavior. In many states, children receive greater protections against the use of corporal punishment in juvenile detention facilities than they do in their schools. The 

use of corporal punishment in schools is interfering with students’ right to be treated with dignity and, as a result, is interfering with their right to a quality education. 

In reviewing the effects of corporal punishment on academic success, we urge the 

Subcommittee to explore the ties between academic achievement and exclusionary 

discipline as well. While none question the need to keep schools safe, educators, researchers, and communities are questioning the efficacy of exclusionary practices 

such as suspensions, expulsions, and school-based arrests. Each year, over three 

million students are suspended and over 100,000 are expelled nationally. As Secretary Arne Duncan warned in his recent remarks in Selma, Alabama, the overuse 

of exclusionary practices on students of color and students with disabilities is particularly disconcerting. Media reports abound with stories of even our youngest students being expelled or arrested for what was once considered youthful misbehavior. 

According to the American Psychological Association, the use of exclusionary practices does not improve behavior, but can instead increase the likelihood that students will fall behind academically, have future behavior problems, drop out of 

school, and become involved in the juvenile or criminal justice system. Exclusionary 

discipline affects not only the student being disciplined, but the health and success 

of the school as a whole: schools with high suspension rates score lower on state 

accountability tests, even when adjusting for demographic differences. 

We urge the committee to take note that there are proven, cost-effective alternatives to corporal punishment and exclusion. Many US schools are implementing 

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), an approach that—as described in the Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act (H.R. 2597)—is 

linked to greater academic achievement, significantly fewer disciplinary referrals, 

increased instruction time, and staff perception of a safer learning environment. 

Similar improvements to school climate result from complementary approaches like 

restorative practices and school offense protocols. 

We applaud the Subcommittee’s efforts to better understand the impact of corporal punishment on academic success. We urge the Subcommittee to undertake a 

similar review of the ties between academic achievement and the use of suspension, 

expulsion, and school-based arrests (we have attached the Dignity in Schools Campaign’s recommendations to the House Committee on Education and Labor to that 

effect). School discipline should be used to maintain the health and productivity of 

the learning environment for students and teachers alike. When disciplinary practices interfere with academic success, they interfere with the bold goals this Subcommittee has for the futures of our children. In reauthorizing the ESEA, we urge 

you to address the harms these practices can cause to the health and academic success of our students and schools. 

Sincerely, 

THE DIGNITY IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN

and the following organizations and individuals: 

Activists with a Purpose Plus (Grenada, MS) 

Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc., Eta Lambda Chapter (Atlanta, GA) 

Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc., Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter (Gwinnett Co., GA) 

Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc., Rho Sigma Lambda Chapter (Henry Co., GA) 

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Center for Effective Discipline 

Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School 

Children & Family Justice Center, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University 

School of Law 

Coalition for Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports 

Concerned Citizens for a Better Greenville (Greenville, MS) 

Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. 

Disability Law Center of Massachusetts 

Education Law Center (Newark, NJ) 

Educators for Social Responsibility 

Gwinnett Parent Coalition to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline (Gwinnett 

Co., GA) 

International Institute for Restorative Practices 

Justice4Children 
50 

Law Office of Piper A. Paul, LLC (Westport, CT) 

Legal Services for Children (San Francisco, CA) 

Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council 

Malcolm X Center for Self Determination (Greenville, SC) 

Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) 

Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities 

Mississippi Delta Catalyst Roundtable 

Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence 

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. 

National Disability Rights Network 

National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) 

National Women’s Law Center 

Parents Against Spanking Association 

Parents United Together of Mississippi 

Physicians for Social Responsibility (Sacramento, Ca) 

Public Counsel (Los Angeles, CA) 

Public Science Project (New York, NY) 

Restorative Schools Vision Project (Sacramento, CA) 

RKH Law Office (Los Angeles, CA) 

South Carolina Appleseed Justice Center 

South Carolina Autism Society 

Southern Echo, Inc. (Jackson, MS) 

Southern Poverty Law Center 

Therapists for Social Responsibility (Sacramento, CA) 

The following individuals are listed with their affiliations for identification purposes only: 

Theresa Baradine, Parent 

Deborah Barclay 

William Bronston, MD 

Jeanie Calenoff, Parent of a Special Needs Child 

Barbara Corkrey, Attorney, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles 

Edith M. Cornet 

Lisa Cowen 

Kimberly Coffman, LMSW, Social Worker and Mother of an Autistic Child 

Sheree Janelle Davenport, Mother of an Autistic Child 

Anna Donnelly 

Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor, the Graduate Center of the City University 

of New York 

John Gardner, Educational Consultant 

Maria Hantzopoulos, Assistant Professor, Vassar College 

Judge Brian Huff, Juvenile Court, Birmingham, Alabama 

Rubina Johnson, Advocate 

Veronika Kot, Parent 

Monica Llorente, Advocate 

Patrice Neal, PhD, FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill 

Gaylon James Nettles, Esq., Attorney 

David Nylund, LCSW, PhD, Associate Professor of Social Work, Sacramento State 

University 

John M. Palladino, PhD, Associate Professor, Deparment of Special Education, Eastern Michigan University 

Nancy Polin, Concerned Parent 

Heather Price, Educational Researcher, University of Notre Dame 

Karolyn Renard, Attorney at Law, Advocate for Children with Disabilities 

Augustina Reyes, Professor, College of Education, University of Houston 

Marlene Sallo, Esq., Advocate 

Therese Sandomierski, M.A. 

Sally Sommer, Retired Teacher, Oakland Unified School District 

Jeffrey Sprague, Ph.D., Co-Director, Univ. Oregon Inst. on Violence and Destructive 

Behavior 

Julie K. Waterstone, Southwestern Law School 

George E. Worley, Parent and Children’s Advocate 

Contact: 

Matthew Cregor Safe Schools Strategist NAACP Legal Defense and Educational 

Fund, Inc. For the Dignity in Schools Campaign 646-515-5284 mcregor@naacpldf.org 
51 

1Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 213 (1972). See also Board of Ed. of Cent. Sch. Dist. No.1 

v. Allen, 392 U.S. 236, 246-247 (1968). 2 Yoder at 221; Kentucky State Board v. Rudasill, 589 S.W.2d 877, 883 (1979). 

3Snyder, Thomas D., Hoffman, Charlene M. Digest of Education Statistics 2008. NCES 2010- 

013, Washington, DC: United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Research 

and Improvement. 4Dobson, James C. (1996). The New Dare to Discipline. Tyndale House Publishing. 

5 N.J. Rev. Stat. §18A:6-1. 

6 IOWA CODE § 280.21 

Prepared Statement of Sean Faircloth, Executive Director, 

Secular Coalition for America 

Thank you Chairwoman McCarthy and the other members of the Committee for 

this opportunity to submit written testimony as you consider whether or not to ban 

corporal punishment in private educational institutions. 

The Secular Coalition for America is the leading organization promoting the viewpoints of nontheistic Americans and their federal policy concerns. Headquartered in 

Washington D.C., and founded in 2005, our mission is to increase the visibility of 

and respect for nontheists in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the 

secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all Americans. The Secular Coalition for America submits that if Congress decides that corporal punishment must be restricted, that principle must apply to religious schools 

exactly as it does to secular schools. 

States have a duty to protect children from violence in schools equally 

The Supreme Court has said that because of the ‘‘high responsibility for education 

of its citizens, [a state] may impose reasonable regulations for the control and duration of basic education.’’ 1 The state’s interest in an informed and self-sufficient citizenry capable of participating in a democratic society is generally cited to support 

the regulation of private schools.2 In 2009, 10.5% of all elementary and secondary 

students in America were enrolled in a private school.3

The state’s interest in protecting children from the dangers associated with corporal punishment could not be met if some schools were exempted from the law. 

This is particularly true considering many influential Christian leaders such as 

Focus on the Family’s James Dobson advocate that corporal punishment be used in 

both schools and homes.4 Exempting religious private schools from a ban on corporal 

punishment would mean that the government is authorizing the use of physical violence as a form of punishment for children for a specific set of children. Children 

in religious schools are no less human—and no less equal citizens—than children 

anywhere else. 

Exempting religious private schools from a ban on corporal punishment violates 

the principle of equal protection under the law. Excluding religious schools from any 

school regulations intended to guarantee a high-quality education or to protect children from harm impinges upon most basic right of children in these schools—the 

right to equality. If the state’s goal is to protect children from harm resulting from 

corporal punishment, then there is no less restrictive way to protect children other 

than banning corporal punishment in all private and public schools. Children in private schools deserve the same protections as children in public schools. 

Not all states apply uniform corporal punishment bans 

Both New Jersey5 and Iowa6 have specifically outlawed corporal punishment in 

both private and public schools. Alaska, California, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New 

York, Utah and Washington allow corporal punishment in private schools even 

though they are banned in public schools. Allowing corporal punishment in private 

schools, despite state corporal punishment bans in public schools, unfairly privileges 

religious institutions over secular institutions and unconstitutionally entangles 

church and state—while violating the basic human rights of a distinct group of children. 

Religious beliefs are no excuse for using corporal punishment 

The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment provides great protection for 

religious beliefs and speech. The courts, however, have always drawn a distinction 

between religious beliefs and religiously-motivated conduct. While the freedom to 

believe is absolute, the Free Exercise Clause does not mandate that religiously-motivated conduct must be free from law. Moreover, the ‘‘conduct’’ involved here is hurting another human being, a child no less. What a person chooses for their own body 

is far different from a policy that permits harm to another essentially defenseless 

human being. As the Supreme Court has said, ‘‘neither the rights of religion nor 

the rights of parenthood are beyond limitation’’ and the Free Exercise clause cannot 
52 

7Prince v. Massachusetts, U.S. Supreme Court, 1943 

8 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: 

General Comment No. 8, Para 29. 

be used to justify placing children in harm’s way.7 In the case of corporal punishment in schools, the state has a compelling interest in ending corporal punishment 

in schools and protecting children from these practices. Numerous studies have 

shown that corporal punishment may trigger criminal, anti-social, violent, aggressive behavior later in life. If Congress gives credence to such studies, then they are 

no less credible when the results of those studies apply to religious schools. 

Moreover, international regulatory bodies agree that religious values are no excuse for performing corporal punishment. The United Nations Committee on the 

Rights of the Child has made clear that religious values should not condone the use 

of corporal punishment. 

‘‘Some raise faith-based justifications for corporal punishment, suggesting that 

certain interpretations of religious texts not only justify its use, but provide a duty 

to use it. Freedom of religious belief is upheld for everyone in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 18), but practice of a religion or belief must 

be consistent with respect for others’ human dignity and physical integrity. Freedom 

to practice one’s religion or belief may be legitimately limited in order to protect the 

fundamental rights and freedoms of others.’’ 8

Corporal punishment ban must also apply to private religious schools 

The Secular Coalition for America opposes the use of government funds for religious purposes, including funding for religious schools. We agree with the founders 

of the United States that no individual taxpayer should be required to pay for the 

propagation of another’s religion. If private religious schools are to be funded with 

taxpayer dollars, then students attending religious schools should be protected to 

the same extent as their public school counterparts. 

We are faced with a fundamentally moral issue. If corporal punishment of children is wrong, it is just as wrong in a religious school. We encourage people of all 

faiths to join their secular neighbors in asking that we as a country do what is right 

for children uniformly and without exception. 

Chairwoman MCCARTHY. As previously so ordered, our members 

will have 14 days to submit additional materials for the hearing 

record. Any member who wishes to submit follow-up questions in 

writing to our witnesses should coordinate with the majority staff 

within the requested time. 

Without objection, this hearing is adjourned. Thank you. 

[Questions submitted for the record and their responses follow:] 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

[VIA FACSIMILE], 

Washington, DC, April 27, 2010. 

[The following correspondence was sent to each witness] 

Dear [Witness]: 

Thank you for testifying at the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities hearing on, ‘‘Corporal Punishment in Schools and its Effect on Academic Success,’’ on April 15, 2010. 

Committee Members have additional questions for which they would like written 

responses from you for the hearing record. 

Representative Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott (D-VA) has asked that you respond in 

writing to the following questions: 

1. Corporal punishment is considered a violation of human rights law under several international treaties including two which the US. has ratified. Therefore, are 

we in violation of human rights laws by continuing to permit corporal punishment 

in our education system? 

2. Does professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques 

for teachers and principals reduce corporal punishment in schools? 
53 

Please send an electronic version of your written response to the questions to the 

Committee staff by close of business on April 29, 2010. If you have any questions, 

please do not hesitate to contact the Committee. 

Sincerely, 

GEORGE MILLER, Chairman. 

Responses to Mr. Scott’s Questions From Ms. Frieler 

1. Corporal punishment is considered a violation of human rights law under several international treaties including two which the US. has ratified. Therefore, are 

we in violation of human rights laws by continuing to permit corporal punishment 

in our education system? 

In my opinion, yes. When dealing with young, impressionable students, corporal 

punishment does not change behavior. It is not an intervention that serves students, 

it is a consequence which may satisfy the adult’s need for expediency but will not 

change a behavior. Students who experience corporal punishment also experience 

fear, lack of trust and possibly, injury. Obviously, those feelings are not conducive 

to educating students. If, adults are protected from corporal punishment from others, our children should be as well. 

2. Does professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques 

for teachers and principals reduce corporal punishment in schools? 

Yes. What is most effective is a counseling type model, one where the administration and faculty work together to create a system of consequences designed to help 

students learn proper comportment. This system must then be communicated with 

students and families and monitored continually. When there is a discipline situation, we must follow state laws and district policies. Although there may be actual 

programs that provide professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques, discipline is also very personal and each student is an individual 

and must be treated as so. This does not mean that each consequence should be 

different however. Continuity between those in the school who do the discipline is 

imperative to the student perception that things are handled fairly and that no one 

student receives special treatment. Administrators work with teachers to find a resolution to a discipline problem that addresses the severity of the situation as well 

as one that maintains the dignity of everyone involved. It is imperative that reactions and decisions are not made based on anger. Many times student misbehavior 

happens as a result of some external situation that an educator may not even be 

aware of. A counseling model where the family is involved and things are clearly 

explained is most effective. Developing a relationship with students and their families is critical when dealing with discipline situations. Once you understand the root 

cause for the behavior, you can provide a discipline consequence that is fair and will 

achieve the goal of teaching the student alternate ways of handling things so the 

behavior does not continue. 

Responses to Mr. Scott’s Questions From Ms. Gilbert 

Corporal punishment is considered a violation of human rights law under several 

international treaties including two which the U.S. has ratified. Therefore, are we 

in violation of human rights laws by continuing to permit corporal punishment in 

our education system? 

I do feel that corporal punishment is a violation of human rights in public schools. 

However, there has to be parameters set, to avoid the risk of ‘‘all’’ discipline in public school being considered a violation of human rights. As stated in my testimony, 

permitting corporal punishment in public schools, is nothing more than ‘‘sweeping 

dirt under the rug, the problem(s) still exist, it’s just being covered up.’’ 

Does professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques for 

teachers and principals reduce corporal punishment in schools? 

Yes, professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques for 

teachers and principals does reduce corporal punishment in schools. Based on my 

personal experience as a high school teacher, I would not have been successful in 

handling classroom discipline had I not taken advantage of programs such as ‘‘Managing Anti-Social Behaviors’’ (professional development provided my the American 

Federation of Teachers through Education Research and Dissemination). This program opened my eyes to new and innovative ways of handling class room discipline 

without the use of harsh punishment by the administration. 
54 

Responses to Mr. Scott’s Questions From Ms. Pee 

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify before the Healthy Families and 

Communities Subcommittee on the critical issue of banning corporal punishment in 

our public schools. Below are my responses to Mr. Scott’s follow-up questions to me. 

1. Corporal punishment is considered a violation of human rights law under several international treaties including two which the US has ratified. Therefore, are 

we in violation of human rights laws by continuing to permit corporal punishment 

in our education system? 

While I am not a lawyer or well-versed in international human rights law, I do 

know that the use of corporal punishment in schools interferes with students’ right 

to dignity and, as a result, is interfering with their right to a quality education. I 

have learned that educational experts have concluded that the use of corporal punishment interferes with learning, encourages children to drop out of school, and generally undermines the purposes of education as understood in international human 

rights law. 

The story of my daughter being corporally punished was profiled in the ACLU/ 

Human Rights Watch report, A Violent Education. I have reviewed that report, and 

believe and agree with their summary on pages 102-113, which answers in more detail Mr. Scott’s question. The section on international obligations can be found here: 

http://www.hrw.org/en/node/62078/section/12. In this section, the ACLU and 

HRW detail how the US violates multiple bodies of human rights law by permitting 

corporal punishment in US public schools. 

From this material, I have learned that international treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention against Torture, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the US is party, prohibit 

the use of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Experts in these 

areas consistently have concluded that corporal punishment by school officials and 

teachers violates governmental obligations to protect children from physical violence 

and cruel treatment. Given the international consensus against corporal punishment, understand that over 100 countries prohibit the practice in schools. The same 

should be true of the United States. 

2. Does professional development for alternative behavior modification techniques 

for teachers and principals reduce corporal punishment in schools? 

I believe that many teachers in districts that use corporal punishment want the 

best for their students and may believe that corporal punishment can deter misbehavior and help educate students. Likewise, parents and children want orderly 

and safe school environments in which students can learn. But violence against students in the form of corporal punishment is not the answer. The practice injures 

students, it creates a hostile school climate, it impedes a positive environment students need in order to learn, it has been disproportionately applied against African 

American and disabled students, and it teaches violence as an appropriate response 

to problems. 

There are other models and practices that can promote safe, effective discipline 

systems that can replace corporal punishment in schools. Like I said in my testimony, there are even simple solutions that can change the behavior of children in 

school without causing injuries. For example, I remember when my daughter was 

in elementary school she got in trouble for talking in class. I told the teacher, if you 

keep her in from recess and give her some extra work—that will stop the behavior 

you don’t like right away. And it did, because social time was important to my 

daughter. 

Better approaches to school discipline are available. For instance, I have recently 

learned about the practice of positive behavioral supports (PBS)—an evidence-based, 

comprehensive approach to school discipline rooted in responding to the underlying 

reasons for the student’s misbehavior. 

Nationwide, teachers and administrators increasingly have been using positive 

discipline methods that foster nurturing school cultures and allow students to 

thrive. With appropriate funding, training, and support, teachers and administrators can implement discipline systems that create educational environments in 

which every student can learn. I understand the Mr. Hare has a bill—Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act (HR 2597)—that would promote these 

practices in schools. Based on my personal experiences, I strongly support legislation banning corporal punishment in schools, coupled with legislation implementing 

PBS programs, thereby providing teachers and schools positive alternatives to the 

ineffective and cruel discipline of corporal punishment. 

Again, my many thanks to you, Ms. McCarthy, and the Committee for your focus 

on this important issue. While it is too late to protect my child from the injuries 
55 

she suffered from this destructive practice, I hope that you can quickly introduce 

and pass legislation banning corporal punishment in schools. Please feel free to contact me if there is anything further I can do to be helpful. 

[Additional submissions of Ms. Pee follow:] 

Prepared Statement of the American Civil Liberties Union and 

Human Rights Watch 

DEAR CHAIRPERSON MCCARTHY, RANKING MEMBER PLATTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE

SUBCOMMITTEE: On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), its over 

half a million members, countless additional supporters and activists, and fifty-three 

affiliates nationwide and Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, we applaud the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities for conducting a hearing concerning the ongoing corporal punishment of 

American public school children and its impact on their educational success. 

The ACLU is a nationwide, non-partisan organization working daily in courts, 

Congress, and communities to defend and preserve the civil rights and liberties that 

the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. 

For thirty years, Human Rights Watch has investigated human rights violations 

wherever they occur, including in the United States, exposed the perpetrators, and 

advocated for change. We are pleased to submit this written statement for the 

record on the issue of corporal punishment in public schools—a vitally important 

issue affecting children’s access to high-quality education and a safe and supportive 

learning atmosphere. 

I. The Ongoing Use of Corporal Punishment in Public Schools 

Each year, hundreds of thousands of students are subjected to corporal punishment in public schools.1 Despite the many problems associated with the hitting or 

paddling of students, corporal punishment is a legal form of school discipline in 20 

states.2 Of these, thirteen states have reported that corporal punishment was inflicted on over one thousand students3—and eight states reported its use against at 

least ten thousand students4—during the 2006-2007 school year. While significant, 

these numbers do not tell the whole story. These statistics only reflect data which 

has been reported to the Department of Education and they only include the number of students who are subjected to corporal punishment during the school year, 

not the total number of times that an individual student has been hit over his or 

her educational career.5

Aside from the infliction of pain and the physical injuries which often result from 

the use physical punishments, these violent disciplinary methods also impact students’ academic achievement and long-term well-being.6 Despite significant evidence 

that corporal punishment is detrimental to a productive learning environment, there 

is currently no federal prohibition on the use of physical discipline against children 

in public school. In fact, children in some states receive greater protections against 

corporal punishment in detention facilities than they do in their public schools.7 For 

this reason and others, the ACLU and HRW are encouraged that this subcommittee 

is seeking to address the problems stemming from corporal punishment in schools. 

II. The Disproportionate Use of Corporal Punishment 

Students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected 

to corporal punishment, hampering their access to a supportive learning environment. According to the Department of Education, while African Americans make up 

17.1 percent of public school students nationwide, they accounted for 35.6 percent 

of those who were paddled during the 2006-2007 school year.8 In A Violent Education and Impairing Education, two joint reports published by the ACLU and HRW 

detailing the effects of corporal punishment in public schools, interviewees noted the 

disproportionate application of corporal punishment: 

• One Mississippi high school student described the administration of corporal 

punishment in her school this way: ‘‘every time you walk down the hall you see a 

black kid getting whipped. I would say out of the whole school there’s only about 

three white kids who have gotten paddled.’’ 9

• A Mississippi teacher also noted the racial disparity in the administration of 

corporal punishment: ‘‘I’ve heard this said at my school and at other schools: ‘This 

child should get less whips, it’ll leave marks.’ Students that are dark-skinned, it 

takes more to let their skin be bruised. Even with all black students, there is an 

imbalance: darker-skinned students get worse punishment. This really affected me, 

being a dark-skinned person myself.’’ 10
56 

Evidence shows that students with disabilities are also disproportionally subjected 

to corporal punishment. The Department of Education has reported that although 

students with disabilities constitute 13.7 percent of all public school students, they 

make up 18.8 percent of those who are subjected to corporal punishment.11 In many 

of these cases, students were punished for exhibiting behaviors related to their disabilities, such as autism or Tourette’s syndrome.12 The effects of corporal punishment on students with disabilities can dramatically impact their behavior and hamper their academic performance. In Impairing Education, parents and grandparents 

of students with disabilities noted the changes in behavior and barriers to educational achievement stemming from the use of corporal punishment: • A grandmother of a student who has Asperger’s syndrome withdrew him from 

his Oklahoma school in part because of the hostile environment stemming from frequent use of corporal punishment: ‘‘It made him much more introverted. He very 

much didn’t want to go to school * * * No one’s supposed to go to school to be tortured, school is supposed to be fun.’’ 13

• A mother of a student with autism reported that her son’s behavior changed 

after he was struck in his Florida school: ‘‘He’s an avoider by nature, before he was 

never aggressive. Now, he struggles with anger; right after the incidents he’d have 

anger explosions.’’ 14

Hitting any student should be an unacceptable practice, but the disproportionate 

application of corporal punishment further undermines the educational environment 

for minority groups and students with disabilities.15 A federal prohibition on corporal punishment in public schools is necessary to protect students from the discriminatory impact and the academic harms which it brings. 

III. The Impact of Corporal Punishment On Students’ Academic Performance 

Harsh physical punishments do not improve students’ in-school behavior or academic performance. In fact, one recent study found that in states where corporal 

punishment is frequently used, schools have performed worse academically than 

those in states that prohibit corporal punishment.16 While most states demonstrated 

improvements in their American College Testing (ACT) scores from 1994 to 2008, 

‘‘as a group, states that paddled the most improved their scores the least.’’ 17 At the 

same time ‘‘the ten states with the longest histories of forbidding corporal punishment improved the most’’ with improvement rates three times higher than those 

states which reported frequent use of corporal punishment.18

Many children who have been subjected to hitting, paddling or other harsh disciplinary practices have reported subsequent problems with depression, fear and 

anger.19 These students frequently withdraw from school activities and disengage 

academically.20 The Society for Adolescent Medicine has found that victims of corporal punishment often develop ‘‘deteriorating peer relationships, difficulty with concentration, lowered school achievement, antisocial behavior, intense dislike of authority, somatic complaints, a tendency for school avoidance and school drop-out, 

and other evidence of negative high-risk adolescent behavior.’’ 21 One Mississippi 

student interviewed for A Violent Education described the effects of corporal punishment on his attitude towards school: 

• ‘‘[Y]ou could get a paddling for almost anything. I hated it. It was used as a 

way to degrade, embarrass students * * * I said I’d never take another paddling, 

it’s humiliating, it’s degrading. Some teachers like to paddle students. Paddling 

causes you to lose respect for a person, stop listening to them.’’ 22

Corporal punishment places parents and teachers in positions where they may 

have to choose between educational advancement and students’ physical well-being. 

For instance, some parents who learn that their children are being struck at public 

school find themselves without recourse, unable to effectively opt-out from the practice, and unable to obtain legal or other redress when their children have been paddled against their wishes. Ultimately some parents find that the only way they can 

protect their children from physical harm is to withdraw them from school altogether.23 Similarly, teachers who work in schools where corporal punishment is administered are often reluctant to send disruptive students out of the classroom because they are afraid the students will be beaten.24

Moreover, a public school’s use of corporal punishment affects every student in 

that school, including those who are not personally subjected to hitting or paddling. 

The prevalent use of physical violence against students creates an overall threatening school atmosphere that impacts students’ ability to perform academically.25

Often, children who experience or witness physical violence will themselves develop 

disruptive and violent behaviors, further disturbing their classmates’ learning as 

well as their own.26

Corporal punishment is a destructive form of discipline that is ineffective in producing educational environments in which students can thrive. Rather than relying 
57 

on harsh and threatening disciplinary tactics, schools and teachers should be encouraged to develop positive behavior supports (PBS), which have proven effective 

in reducing the need for harsh discipline while supporting a safe and productive 

learning environment.27 The Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act 

(H.R. 2597) would help states and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) create positive 

learning environments by allowing them to use Title I funds to develop PBS practices. This bill would also require the Department of Education to provide assistance 

and support so that states may fully realize the potential of supportive and flexible 

behavior discipline practices. By abandoning ineffective and brutal disciplinary practices, and by encouraging the adoption of PBS methods, our nation can provide opportunities for all students to achieve academic success in a supportive and safe 

school environment. 

IV. Recommendations 

In order to prevent the continued use of violence against children in our schools, 

we recommend that Congress: • Introduce and pass federal legislation prohibiting the use of corporal punishment in public schools, conditioned on the receipt of federal funding. • Define corporal punishment as any punishment by which physical force is used 

with the intention of causing some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. • Promote the use of positive behavioral supports by passing H.R. 2597, and provide teachers and school administrators with the tools and resources necessary to 

develop safe and effective methods for encouraging positive student behavior • Provide students and their families with a private right of action to enforce 

their rights to be free from physical punishment and to a safe and supportive learning environment in administrative or judicial actions. • Require all schools and LEAs to report all instances where corporal punishment 

is used, not just the number of students who are punished in a given year. This 

data should be collected and disaggregated by student subgroups to assess disproportionate application. • Provide funding to those states which implement PBS practices so that teachers 

may be effectively trained to create safe and supportive school discipline plans. 

V. Conclusion 

The ACLU and HRW would like to thank Chairperson McCarthy and the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities for their efforts to address the 

problems arising from corporal punishment in public schools. The use of violence 

against students is never an acceptable means of punishment—it harms students 

physically, psychologically and academically. The use of corporal punishment in 

schools is interfering with students’ right to be treated with dignity and, as a result, 

is interfering with their right to a quality education. By prohibiting the use of corporal punishment and helping states to develop safe and effective behavioral practices, this Congress could help to ensure that our nation’s children are able to 

achieve their full educational potential in a supportive learning environment. 

ENDNOTES

1During the 2006-2007 school year, at least 223,190 students in the U.S. were subjected to 

corporal punishment. See U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, OFFICE FOR CIVIL 

RIGHTS, CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION 2006, http://ocrdata.ed.gov/Projections— 

2006.aspx (last accessed April 1, 2010) [hereinafter CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION]. 2 Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. See AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION & HUMAN RIGHTS 

WATCH, IMPAIRING EDUCATION 27 (2009), available at http://www.aclu.org/humanrights/impairing-education-corporal-punishment-students-disabilities-us-public-schools [hereinafter IMPAIRING EDUCATION]. 3 Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee & Texas. See id. at 27. 4 Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. See 

id, at 27. 5Many school districts may fail to report corporal punishment data to the Department of Education, and many incidents may not be recorded in the first place. See AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION & HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, A VIOLENT EDUCATION 45-46 (2008), available at http://www.aclu.org/human-rights-racial-justice/violent-education-corporal-punishmentchildren-us-public-schools [hereinafter A VIOLENT EDUCATION]; IMPAIRING EDUCATION, 

at 30-31. 6See generally A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 57; IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 4-5. 

7 Corporal punishment of children in juvenile justice facilities has been prohibited by the 

Courts of Appeals in several Federal Circuits. See Nelson v. Heyne, 491 F.2d 352 (7th Cir. 

1974), cert. denied 417 U.S. 476 (paddling of children in juvenile detention was a violation of 

the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment); Morales v. Turman, 562 F.2d 
58 

993, 998 (5th Cir. 1977) (corporal punishment and physical abuse in juvenile detention facilities 

subject to prohibition as a violation of Eighth Amendment), rev’d on other grounds, 535 F.2d 

864 (5th Cir. 1976), rev’d and remanded, 430 U.S. 322 (1977). See also, Santana v. Collazo, 533 

F. Supp. 966 (D.P.R. 1982) (corporal punishment against juveniles in industrial schools and juvenile camps violates Eighth Amendment and is barred ‘‘for any reason’’), aff’d in part and vacated in part, 714 F.2d 1172 (lst Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 466 U.S. 974 (1984). The American 

Correctional Association has also issued standards banning use of corporal punishment in juvenile facilities. See also Steven J. Martin, Staff Use of Force in United States Confinement Settings, 22 WASH. U. J.L. & POL’Y 145 (2006). In addition, corporal punishment and other harsh 

disciplinary practices are prohibited in publicly-funded non-medical substance abuse and longterm medical care facilities. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 290jj (banning corporal punishment in ‘‘nonmedical community-based facilities for children and youth.’’); 42 C.F.R. § 483.13 (banning corporal punishment in long-term medical care facilities). 8 CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION, supra note 1. See also A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 

5 (‘‘In the same year [2006-2007], in the 13 states with the highest rates of paddling, 1.4 times 

as many African American students were paddled as might be expected given their percentage 

of the student population. Although girls of all races were paddled less than boys, African American girls were nonetheless physically punished at more than twice the rate of their white counterparts in those 13 states during this period’’). 9 A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 72 (interview with Abrea T., Dec. 10, 2007). 

10 A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 75-76 (interview with Catherine V., Nov. 7, 2007). 11 In the 2006-2007 school year, 41,972 students with disabilities were subjected to corporal 

punishment during the 2006-2007 school year. See CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION, supra 

note 1. 12See IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 35-40. 13 IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 44 (interview with Sarah P. May 22, 2009). 14 IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 43 (interview with Anna M., March 9, 2009). 15See A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 75. 16MICHAEL HICKMON, STUDY: PADDLING VS. ACT SCORES AND CIVIL IMMUNITY 

LEGISLATION (2008), available at http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=paddlingvsact. 17 Id. 18 Id. 19See A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 54; IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 42-43. 20See A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 54; IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 43-44. 21Society for Adolescent Medicine, Position Paper: Corporal Punishment in Schools, 32:5 J. 

ADOLESCENT HEALTH 385, 388 (2003). 22 A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 55 (interview with Sean D., Dec. 14, 2007). 23See IMPAIRING EDUCATION, at 6. 24See id. at 5. 25See A VIOLENT EDUCATION, at 25-29. 26This is often because students who have been subjected to corporal punishment have 

learned through their experiences that physical violence is an appropriate way to handle conflict. The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that ‘‘corporal punishment may adversely 

affect a student’s self-image and school achievement and it may contribute to disruptive and violent behavior.’’ American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on School Health, Corporal Punishment in Schools, 106:2 PEDIATRICS 343 (2000), available at http:// 

aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;106/2/343. 27See, e.g., Stephen P. Safran & Karen Oswald, Positive Behavior Supports: Can Schools Reshape Disciplinary Practices?, 69:3 EXCEPTIONAL CHILD. 361 (2003), available at http:// 

www.casenex.com/casenex/cecReadings/positiveBehavior.pdf. 

[‘‘A Violent Education: Corporal Punishment of Children in U.S. 

Public Schools,’’ a report by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, 

may be accessed at the following Internet address:] 

www.aclu.org/human-rights-racial-justice/violent-education-corporal-punishmentchildren-us-public-schools 

[‘‘Impairing Education: Corporal Punishment of Students With 

Disabilities in US Public Schools,’’ a report by the ACLU and 

Human Rights Watch, may be accessed at the following Internet 

address:] 

www.aclu.org/human-rights/impairing-education-corporal-punishment-studentsdisabilities-us-public-schools 

[Responses to Mr. Scott’s questions from Dr. Greydanus follow:] 
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[Whereupon, at 11:35 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

Æ