Every student deserves a learning environment that fosters growth and belonging, where they are safe and free from harm. However, such a learning environment is not possible if corporal punishment is allowable under the guise of “discipline.”
Corporal punishment is banned in 30 states and Washington, D.C., though several of those states still allow for the use of physical force in schools to maintain order or discipline. Corporal punishment is still permitted in schools in 20 states, where approximately 70,000 children were hit during the 2017-18 school year.
Black students disproportionately receive corporal punishment in schools as well as students with disabilities, making this a key racial justice and educational equity issue.
Data indicate that corporal punishment is used on children – specifically students of color – as young as 3 years old. Any student receiving corporal punishment is one student too many.
Corporal punishment does not teach nor lead to improved behavior. It is associated with negative outcomes, poor behavioral and mental health, and reduced cognitive ability and self-esteem. Physical harm to students is not only an impediment to students’ growth, but it is also an equity concern that impacts students who have been underserved by the current system.
Protecting Our Students in Schools Act
The Protecting Our Students in Schools Act is a federal bill to prohibit corporal punishment in schools that receive federal funds, including preK-12 public schools across the country. It was reintroduced in May 2025 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more about POSSA, read the language of the bill, and review the press release from House sponsors Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL).
See our overview of the bill and advocacy resources.
International Day to End Corporal Punishment
Acting Together to End State-Sanctioned Violence in Schools
Get info and action ideas in our alert: Yes, Corporal Punishment Still Happens, But it Shouldn’t – It’s Time to End State-Sanctioned Cruelty Against Students.
See article: The Ever-Present History of Violence in U.S. Schools – How State-Sanctioned Cruelty Persists through School Corporal Punishment Policies, by Morgan Craven, J.D.
Corporal Punishment in U.S. States & School Districts
IDRA’s map and data dashboard allow you to view the rates of corporal punishment by the states and school districts that still use this type of disciplinary action.
We’re thrilled to see that the youth-led movement to end corporal punishment in Kentucky resulted in statewide success! As of November 7, 2023, every school district in Kentucky had now adopted a policy to ban hitting and paddling children in schools.
IDRA Issue Brief on Corporal Punishment in Texas
Texas is one of only 20 states in the United States that still allows corporal punishment in schools (including charter schools). Thousands of young Texans are hit in their schools every year, despite research showing that corporal punishment harms students physically, emotionally, socially, and academically and creates unsafe school climates. This practice has persisted for far too long in Texas schools, even as it is prohibited in other state-regulated settings, including foster care placements and Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities (Texas DFPS, 2017; TJJD, 2022). The Texas Legislature has the power to stop this outdated, harmful and unnecessary form of school-based violence and must use that power immediately.
In April 2023, IDRA released Hitting Hurts – The Case for Ending Corporal Punishment in Texas, by Morgan Craven, J.D., & Joanna D. Sánchez, Ph.D. (See PDF in English • Español)
Interactive Map on Corporal Punishment in Texas
IDRA’s newest map shows corporal punishment data for public school districts in Texas. You can see the number of corporal punishment incidents in each school district or legislative district.
Hearings and Tools
Article: Support the Protecting our Students in Schools Act – Why the Federal Government Must Act Now to End Corporal Punishment by Morgan Craven, J.D.
Op-Ed: Commentary: It’s past time for corporal punishment to end in schools by Morgan Craven, J.D., San Antonio Express-News – October 6, 2023
Factsheet: Texas House Bill 772
Testimony: Hitting Hurts – It is Time to End Corporal Punishment in Texas Schools – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 772, submitted by Morgan Craven, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 3, 2023 – See video
Letter: IDRA joins more than 200 organizations and individuals as part of the Federal School Discipline and Climate Coalition to send a letter to Congressional offices to end corporal punishment.April 29, 2022
Federal Hearing: Serving All Students: Promoting a Healthier, More Supportive School Environment, Hearing by the U.S. House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, February 16, 2022
- Serving All Students – Promoting a Healthier, More Supportive School Environment, Written Testimony by Morgan Craven, J.D., IDRA National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement
- Verbal Testimony Presented by Morgan Craven, J.D., IDRA National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement
- Video of the hearing
Infographic: Corporal Punishment is Violence Against Children
Joint letter: Support Legislation to Advance Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates, with the Leadership Conference and 230 other organizations, January 19, 2022
Joint letter: Calling for action in support of a suite of bills to address harmful school discipline and policing, with Federal School Discipline and Climate Coalition and 205 other organizations, October 26, 2021
Congressional Briefing on the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act
- IDRA co-hosted a congressional briefing on the federal corporal punishment ban in July 2021. Watch video of June news conference
- Report: Congressional Briefing Stresses Need to End Corporal Punishment of Students – IDRA releases report: Stopping Harmful Corporal Punishment Policies in Texas
Letter: IDRA Endorses House Bill to End Corporal Punishment in Schools, December 2020
