The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:40 PM
State Comptroller's Report: Tennessee Has 109 Districts That Allow For Corporal For Punishment In Schools
Corporal punishment refers to paddling, spanking, or other forms of physical punishment imposed on a student.
The Comptroller's Office reviewed 148 school board policies in Tennessee and found that 109 districts have a policy which allows corporal punishment.
Most of these policies, according to the Comptroller's Office, leave discretion to the principal, assistant principal, or teacher who administers corporal punishment.
OREA’s analysis showed:
· The use of corporal punishment varies in districts where it is allowed. In the 2013-14 school year, 907 schools were located in districts allowing corporal punishment. Of those 907 schools, 40 percent reported using it to discipline students.
· Students with disabilities received corporal punishment at a higher statewide rate than students without disabilities for two of the three most recent reporting years.
· The number of students with disabilities receiving corporal punishment declined from 2009-10 to 2013-14, but not as much as the decline for students without disabilities. There were about seven percent fewer students with disabilities who received corporal punishment in 2013-14 than in 2009-10, while the number of students without disabilities receiving corporal punishment declined by about 46 percent across the same time frame.
· Of the schools that used corporal punishment for students with and without disabilities, about 80 percent used corporal punishment at a higher rate for students with disabilities in all three reporting years.
To read the report and view the supplemental appendix, visit OREA’s website at: http://comptroller.tn.gov/orea/
