Corporal Punishment Is Losing Ground — But Some Still Favor It for Certain Kids

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Every day, approximately 600 students across the U.S. are physically punished at school — hit with wooden paddles or struck by objects by adults charged with their education and care. While corporal punishment may seem like a relic of the past, it remains legal in 17 states, including Mississippi, where it remains especially common.

While the practice itself is troubling, new research I conducted reveals something even more troubling: Corporal punishment isn’t just disproportionately used on Black and gender-expansive students — those whose gender identity falls outside traditional norms — it’s also disproportionately condoned by the public when it’s used on these children.

I surveyed more than 600 Mississippi residents to understand their attitudes about school discipline. Most disapproved of corporal punishment in general, but that feeling weakened when the child being punished was Black or gender-nonconforming. In short: Who a child is imagined to be affects whether that child is believed to deserve protection — or punishment.

This finding echoes years of research and advocacy warning that corporal punishment is more than just an outdated disciplinary practice. It reveals deep-rooted inequities in America’s schools.

Research shows that physical punishment contributes to worse academic outcomes, higher dropout rates,and even increased involvement with the criminal justice system. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has linked it to long-term mental health impacts such as anxiety, depression and PTSD.

In Mississippi, Black students are far more likely to be physically punished than their white peers. A key reason is a well-documented bias called adultification — the perception that Black children are older, less innocent and more culpable than white youngsters. This leads educators and even the public to support harsher punishments for similar behavior.

Research from Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality has shown how adultification affects Black youth, especially girls. My study confirms that the problem doesn’t stop at how discipline is applied — it extends to how it’s justified.

Even though 61% of respondents in my study agreed that corporal punishment should be banned, support for the practice increased or decreased depending on the perceived identity of the child. For example, on a six-point scale where higher scores indicated stronger support for corporal punishment, participants rated it significantly more appropriate (“fitting the crime”) for a hypothetical Black gender-expansive student (2.73 on the scale) than for a white gender-expansive student (2.32) or a Black cisgender female student (2.26). That’s not just unfair — it’s dangerous.

The good news is that public opinion may be shifting. A 2023 national survey revealed that 65% of U.S. adults agreed with a federal ban on physical punishment in schools, while only 18% were opposed. This growing consensus is reflected in recent legislative actions: Colorado and Idaho banned physical punishment in public schools in 2023, while Oklahoma and Tennessee introduced legislation in 2024 to limit the practice. My findings also show that a majority of Mississippians oppose corporal punishment in school. Yet state and federal laws still permit it, revealing a stark disconnect between policy and public will.

That gap must be closed. Here’s how:

First, Mississippi lawmakers — and those in the 21 other states where corporal punishment is still allowed — should immediately ban the practice in all schools. No child should fear physical harm at the hands of a teacher or principal. Nationwide advocacy efforts by organizations like the National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment in Schools emphasize the critical need for legislative reform.

Second, schools should adopt restorative justice practices, which focus on accountability, dialogue and healing. These methods reduce conflict and improve school climate without resorting to violence. Resources from the International Institute for Restorative Practices offer practical guidelines to help educators to implement these approaches.

Finally, transparency is essential. School districts should be required to report disciplinary data by race and gender identity so communities can see what’s happening and push for changes when needed. Right now, the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection offers a national framework for doing just that — including statistics on the demographic breakdown of students exposed to corporal punishment. However, with the ongoing uncertainty around federal policy, there’s a risk that this resource could be cut, which would make it harder to track how corporal punishment is being used in schools nationwide. We need to speak up to make sure this data collection continues and even gets stronger.

Ending corporal punishment in schools takes a multi-pronged approach. It means changing laws, updating policies and working with communities to push for positive discipline methods that help children thrive without fear of physical punishment. 

It’s time to end this antiquated practice. Not just for some students, but for all of them.

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