Students With Disabilities More Likely To Face Physical Punishment In School

The ACLU and Human Rights Watch released a disturbing report today which claims that "students with disabilities face corporal punishment in public schools at disproportionately high rates." From the release:

In the 70-page report, "Impairing Education: Corporal Punishment of Students with Disabilities in US Public Schools," the ACLU and Human Rights Watch found that students with disabilities made up 18.8 percent of students who suffered corporal punishment at school during the 2006-2007 school year, although they constituted just 13.7 percent of the total nationwide student population. At least 41,972 students with disabilities were subjected to corporal punishment in US schools during that year. These numbers probably undercount the actual rate of physical discipline, since not all instances are reported or recorded.

Corporal punishment, legal in 20 states, typically takes the form of "paddling," during which an administrator or teacher hits a child repeatedly on the buttocks with a long wooden board. ACLU and Human Rights Watch interviews found that students with disabilities also suffered many other forms of corporal punishment, including beatings, spanking, slapping, pinching, being dragged across the room, and being thrown to the floor.

The report found that some students were physically abused for conduct related to their disabilities, including students with Tourette syndrome being punished for exhibiting involuntary tics and students with autism being punished for repetitive behaviors such as rocking. In some cases, corporal punishment against students with disabilities led to a worsening of their conditions. For instance, some parents reported that students with autism became violent toward themselves or others following corporal punishment.

Comments

[KidsRpeople2]

A SHOCKING Children's Civil Rights INEQUALITY exists in 21st Century Classrooms! The FACT is that Corporal or Physical Punishment is ILLEGAL IN SCHOOLS in 30 STATES, in contrast to being practiced frequently in SCHOOLS for minor infractions such as not turning in homework, without parental consent or notification in the remaining 20 states. SHOCKING news headlines of injuries suffered by children abused by school employees in states where the practice is legal are all too common! Physical or Corporal Punishment is HEAVILY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PORNOGRAPHY INDUSTRY, just type corporal punishment or spanking into any internet search engine to verify. There is a PUBLICLY FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOL, the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences that made news headlines recently for disciplining Middle/High School students (girls too) during an assembly called "Chapel" where students are taken on a stage and hit with a wooden paddle by their 6'6'' former football player principal and/or have their hands whipped with leather straps IN FRONT OF ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS AS A DETERRENT TO PUBLICLY INDUCE SHAME/HUMILIATION AND FEAR AS AN INTIMIDATION TACTIC! The "Educators" and "Administrators" of this school state their "Discipline" practices are within Tennessee State Laws! U.S. Congress is currently holding hearings on Abusive and DEADLY (kids have died at the hands of government employees entrusted with their care and education in our tax payer funded schools) practices in SCHOOLS and must take immediate action to ABOLISH CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF ALL CHILDREN IN ALL SCHOOLS!

[patticakes350]

State standing on Corporal Punishment in Schools



Alabama--Legal
Alaska--Illegal
Arizona--Legal
Arkansas--Legal
California--Illegal
Colorado--Legal
Connecticu­t--Illegal
Delaware--Illegal
District of Columbia--Illegal
Florida--Legal
Georgia--Legal
Hawaii--Illegal
Idaho--Legal
Illinois--Illegal
Indiana--Legal
Iowa--Illegal
Kansas--Legal
Kentucky--Legal
Louisiana--Legal
Maine--Illegal
Maryland--Illegal
Massachuse­tts--Illeg­al
Michigan--Illegal
Minnesota--Illegal
Mississippi--Legal
Missouri--Legal Montana--Illegal
Nebraska--Illegal
Nevada--Illegal
New Hampshire--Illegal
New Jersey--Illegal
New Mexico--Legal
New York--Illegal
North Carolina--Legal
North Dakota--Illegal
Ohio--Legal
Oklahoma--Legal
Oregon--Illegal
Pennsylvan­ia--Illega­l
Rhode Island--Illegal
South Carolina--Legal
South Dakota--Illegal
Tennessee--Legal
Texas--Legal
Utah--Illegal
Vermont--Illegal
Virginia--Illegal
Washington--Illegal
West Virginia--Illegal
Wisconsin--Illegal
Wyoming--Legal

[CoconutLime]

Thanks for that. Interesting...

[CoconutLime]

Where did you find this information? I am writing a blog on it and I want to quote the source.

[wordvarc]

Compare that to death penalty states?

[citizensrus]

I'm glad it is illegal in Washington. My children attend school there. The idea that some stranger could physically hurt a child in the name of discipline, or verbally abuse a child in the name of discipline or authority,or humilate and degrade a child in front of others,or to constantly criticize rather than nuture the child... and call that education makes me physically ill.
To damage a child's sense of self, love of learning, spirit is mortal wounding the student in the child. This is not education it is educide.

[patticakes350]

Here in Chicago this happened just recently... all because the boy would not look at the officers.


http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Family-Claims-Police-Beat-Autistic-Boy.html

[PostModernPatriot]

That is so sad. I'm speechless at the brutality.

[wordvarc]

Boys are not best addressed face to face or in the eye. Primary grade female teachers repeatedly mistake boys not looking them in the eye as sheer defiance. Many male teachers instinctively know to address boys 'shoulder to shoulder' by standing, sitting next to each other, or taking a walk; facing the same direction. The masculine gesture symbolizes facing an issue together vs. the 'face to face showdown of absolute destruction of the others will.'

[citizensrus]

I'm am hurting physically and crying within for the children. I know it's not really my heart..but that source inside our chest we can our heart..I feel heavy and intense pain for the defenseless children. My heart is just ripped. I also feel fear. I feel the child's fear in that situation. This is wrong.

[daffey]

Do schools still use physical punishment? I’ve lived in four states in a dozen school districts and I can’t think of the last time I was in one that had physical punishment. I think that’s a good thing. All those horrible behaviors like chewing gum in class, talking out of turn, and knocking kids’ books out of their hands have faded away since we ditched spanking. Of course, they’ve been replaced by mass killings, physical assault, filming porn movies in locker rooms, and sexual attacks, but hey, I’m sure that’s all a cosmic coincidence.

[Bigrcube]

RE: Students With Disabilities More Likely To Face Physical Punishment In School
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Corporal Punishment STILL exists in the 21st century modern day AMERICA's public school system?!
You've GOT to be kidding, huh?!

And those MOST unable to defend themselves, Students with either PHYSICAL or MENTAL *disabilities*, are getting paddled?!

Hey YO, Obama......what's up with that?!?!

[CoconutLime]

Where I lived in Canada they did away with corporal punishment in the late 1970s.

[oregonideas]

I taught emotionally disturbed adolescents in public schools, probational facilities and residential treatment centers for twenty-eight years. I've yet to see any study results or anecdotal findings supporting that corporal punishment is, in any way, helpful to "misbehaving" students. It, perhaps, helps relieve the frustrations of staff members, but does so at a cost, not a benefit, to the student receiving the punishment.

Corporal punishment, like so many "deterrent" tools, WORKS VERY WELL FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO DON'T "NEED" IT, AND WORKS NOT AT ALL WELL FOR THOSE STUDENTS LIKELY TO RECEIVE IT.

The students receiving corporal punishment are likely to have emotional disabilities contributing to their dysfunctions and are more likely than the general population to have already received corporal punishment (and frequently genuine "beatings") from their parents. If corporal punishment were, in fact, effective; they would not be acting out now.

I have no issue with the concept of "negative reinforcement" to extinguish unacceptable behavior when an IEP (Individualized Educational Program) study and planning team has determined an appropriate system of treatment for the student. However, the inclusion of corporal punishment is simply not appropriate FOR ANY students. It is not only barbaric, it is also beyond ineffective. IT IS DESTRUCTIVE to the child and to any efforts to rehabilitate that child.

If staff members can only react to dysfunctional behavior by inflicting corporal punishment, I suggest they are in the wrong profession. Their action interferes with efforts to help disturbed students by exacerbating their presenting issues.

[Jaywalkker]

Once again, HuffPo extracts salient figures from a report/study without offering a trackback URL.

http://www.hrw.org/node/84950
&
http://www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/childrensrights/40643pub20090811.html

...for those of you who want to read the report. I'm forwarding to my special ed teacher wife, get her thoughts.

[Theresa Edwards]

I am Theresa E. in this report. I have read a lot of the comments and for those who have posted that what was done is wrong and shouldn't be allowed in this country. I want to Thank You for your support and ask that you go one step further and help the children by writing to our legislators to stop this criminal act and to protect our most valuble resource "Our Children".
For those who have posted condoning this vile practice do the research, my sweet innocent granddaughter no more deserved this then those animals that everyone demanded justice for. It is sad that we as a nation will scream and holler for prison terms, monetary fines when someone hurts a dog, but look for excuses when you harm an innocent life. She is now eleven years old and to this day she will ask "Mommy why did teacher hurt me?" Was I bad? She is terrified of teachers, and if asked about going back to school she starts to cry. These children are loaned to us we do not own them, they are a gift from God.

[CoconutLime]

That's so sad. Teachers that do this kind of thing give teachers like myself a bad name in the public's eyes. That I don't appreciate.

[citizensrus]

You tell your precious child that the teacher had no right to hurt her.
That some people think they can get their point across by hurting someone. That it will force the person to comply out of fear. This makes the teacher's job easier, but it is not the job of the teacher to take the easy way out.
Cry with her, hold her, show her you understand her feelings, but it no way did she deserve that treatment. Recognize the light in her and tell her it still shines. That teachers try to put the light out in children because it scares them, but the spark is there..and you are going to make sure she has plenty of opportunities to shine.
Then tell her she is not alone..many children the world over face abuse that an adult would not have to face for the same behaviour.
That there are few people who speak up for the rights of children, but those who do are very powerful.
She may be one of those people someday. Tell he that this can become fertile ground in which the seeds of change are planted. She will have had a hand in helping other children, because her story was printed and the world knows the injustice that happened to her.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

For those of you advocating hitting children with disabilities (or any children for that matter) to correct their behaviors, I suggest next time you get a cold just whack yourself (or ask me and I'll do it) and see how much better your cold is....your blood sugar is up, forget insulin, just whack yourself(again I'm volunteering) and I am sure your levels will go back down. My daughter has observed autistic individuals being held in contempt of court and given additional jail time because they wouldn't make eye contact with the judge. If educators and judicial personnel can't properly interract with the disabled, what hope do I have that the rest of the world will treat my child properly. I live in fear of my son, who's whole goal in life is to be a good and kind person, will encounter a cop who will just see a six foot, two hundred pound man and react in a violent way because my son can't answer his questions.

[isadora]

In Eunice Kennedy Shriver's name, let us stop this ugly behavior. Her sister Rosemary was lobotomized at a time in history when this was acceptable. We must make this grossly and damaging form of battery UNACCEPTABLE. Love Eunice for all that she did in her sister's memory.

[CoconutLime]

My wife is pretty smart in the special needs area. She actually thinks I have always had a slight case of Asperger's. I do certain things that lead her to believe that I might actually have it. That would explain why I am so fixated on certain things. LOL

[Jaywalkker]

lol, my wife is a special ed teacher and is currently getting a second masters for special needs diagnostician and counseling. She says the same of me, w/regards to Asperger's.

Now I occasionally respond to her questions with the voice of a robot, completely "misunderstand" the emotional importance of a story she is telling me, or answer questions slightly off, like I don't understand sarcasm, simile, or metaphor. Its great fun.

[CoconutLime]

LOL

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

How about some more jokes about this disability. Perhaps you can call some disabled people names just to amuse yourselves.

[MNmommy]

Get rid of corporal punishment for all children, but especially disabled children.

Send ALL SpEd educators for Collaborative Problem Solving training:

http://www.explosivechild.com/

[CoconutLime]

Not all special ed teachers need that training. For instance, my wife had an older mentally retarded sister with a heart defect. My wife was acclimatized to her daily needs and this is why she eventually became an educational assistant in special needs. She is presently studying to become a special needs teacher. She has the aptitude for it and quite honestly I don't. I don't know how she does it either. She has told me of students hitting her, etc., but yet she loves to work with them.

[MNmommy]

Even the very best SpEd teachers can always learn one more thing to help them.

Bless the good ones, for what they do for our children, and our society on the whole.

[Reader451]

I think we should monitor the schools that still beat their children, not just to stop the beatings if we can, with sahmiong, but to let the beaten children know we are trying to stop the abuse. It would be great if the abused kids knew that while there are crazy people who still abused children in office, the great majority of Americans want them protected.

[dichotomous]

From APA.org:

In commentary published along with the Gershoff study, George W. Holden, PhD, of the University of Texas at Austin, writes that Gershoff's findings "reflect the growing body of evidence indicating that corporal punishment does no good and may even cause harm." Holden submits that the psychological community should not be advocating spanking as a discipline tool for parents.

In a reply to Gershoff, researchers Diana Baumrind, PhD (Univ. of CA at Berkeley), Robert E. Larzelere, PhD (Nebraska Medical Center), and Philip Cowan, PhD (Univ.of CA at Berkeley), write that because the original studies in Gershoff's meta-analysis included episodes of extreme and excessive physical punishment, her finding is not an evaluation of normative corporal punishment.

"The evidence presented in the meta-analysis does not justify a blanket injunction against mild to moderate disciplinary spanking," conclude Baumrind and her team. Baumrind et al. also conclude that "a high association between corporal punishment and physical abuse is not evidence that mild or moderate corporal punishment increases the risk of abuse."

Baumrind et al. suggest that those parents whose emotional make-up may cause them to cross the line between appropriate corporal punishment and physical abuse should be counseled not to use corporal punishment as a technique to discipline their children. But, that other parents could use mild to moderate corporal punishment effectively. "The fact that some parents punish excessively and unwisely is not an argument, however, for counseling all parents not to punish at all."

[MNmommy]

We get it. You're part of the "blame the parents for the child's disability" crowd.

[calamityjohn]

so the proposal is that we screen all parents and educators to see if they have the aptitude to use corporal punishment and then counsel the bad ones not to do it ....

"a high association between corporal punishment and physical abuse is not evidence that mild or moderate corporal punishment increases the risk of abuse." this is painful to read .. did you note we are talking about the developmentally disabled in this article ?

[NOV42008]

Can we apply this to police officers too?

[kwombles]

Corporal punishment used by the school system on any child is unacceptable behavior. To do so on disabled children is reprehensible.

For you to argue it is acceptable....

[dichotomous]

This article is misleading in a real big way; there are several "disabilities" which can be assigned to students with special needs. Which ones are they referring to? My guess is that the majority are those who are behavioral problems which would come under the "catch all" for special needs students, "emotionally disabled". While this label is appropriate for many special needs students, there are now many reports coming out which document inappropriate diagnoses of as many as 60% of all emotionally disabled kids. Thats 60% of the 42,000 kids in this report, who were improperly diagnosed. Some states are now launching a new program which targets these types of kids and subjects them to more rigorous testing to see if they, indeed, are emotionally disabled, or are just subject to behavioral problems stemming from poor parenting skills.

Also, for all of you morally pious people who wish to label all corporal punishment as child abuse, there are studies which show that corporal punishment, if used appropriately, can be an effective deterrent in disciplining children, when they are young. Don't be so quick to judge. I was paddled on 3 separate occasions in Pennsylvania schools up until the 6th grade (1 in elementary, 2 in middle school). It made a pretty big impression on me! I know that I never repeated those same behaviors which got me in those predicaments to begin with!

[Reader451]

I am sure I can beat that opinion out of you. I wouldn't, but I could.

[MNmommy]

School systems have a tendency to toss kids under the IDEA EBD bus (category) that don't deserve it all the time. Why they won't just use OHI which is the proper designation for many or them is anyone's guess. They then create a catch-22 with the child, or a self-fulfilling prophecy in the way they treat the child.

[kareemachan]

And I'm assuming that you didn't have Tourette's or autism, either. Fail.

[kareemachan]

And in case you didn't see my post commenting on your assertion that there are lots of studies that show corporal punishment work, I'm calling you on it. Cite some for us, please.

[calamityjohn]

so teachers should feel free to use corporal punishment on students they feel are misdiagnosed ?

[CoconutLime]

Never.

[blingbling65943]

wow, I didn't even know there was still corporal punishment in our schools, let alone we beat the retarded kids.