Unlimited Justice

Yesterday in my Legal Foundations of Education class we discussed corporal punishment in depth. Someone shared the website http://www.unlimitedjustice.com/, a website that blatantly exposes how corporal punishment is still alive in the educational system today.

Corporal Punishment in public schools is legal in the following 19 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Here's the thing that kills me. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit a prisoner. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit someone in the military. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit an animal. Schools are the only public institutions in the United States that legally engage in corporal punishment. This means that in 19 states a student can be paddled in school for being late to class, acting out, going to the bathroom without permission, or even failing a test. Students who are paddled have a higher likelihood of dropping out of school, and high school drop outs earn approximately $10,000 less than workers with diplomas. It is also more likely for high school drop outs to be unemployed or incarcerated which will ultimately end up costing taxpayers $8 billion annually in public services.

Does your state allow corporal punishment? Even if your state prohibits corporal punishment this issue still applies to you. High school drop outs from the class of 2011 will cost the U.S. over $200 billion in services and lost tax revenue over their lifetimes.