{"id":17126,"date":"2008-12-30T18:13:00","date_gmt":"2008-12-31T00:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=17126"},"modified":"2019-12-20T18:15:49","modified_gmt":"2019-12-21T00:15:49","slug":"should-corporal-punishment-be-allowed-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-corporal-punishment-be-allowed-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Many parents who use corporal discipline at home are opposed to its use in a Christian school. They feel that only the parent should administer this type of discipline when needed. I have always believed that the school should have the authority to paddle when needed. What are your views on this controversial subject?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

Given the number of incidences of abuse occurring I’m not surprised that parents have concerns about turning rights to physical punishment over to school officials. From a scriptural viewpoint, there is nothing indicating that corporal punishment can’t be done by others. In fact, it appears that in some cases it was used by the government to punish certain offenses (Proverbs 10:13; 19:29).<\/p>\n

In private schools, parents have the option of sending their children to these schools. Thus, as long as the policy of the school regarding corporal punishment is clearly laid out, such as who is allowed to administer it, in what cases it is used, and the guidelines for the actual administration, then the parents can make an informed choice as to whether the school meets their needs.<\/p>\n

One of the root causes of problems in public schools today is there is no effective way to enforce rules and discipline. You can’t flunk a student, so there is no incentive for doing homework or getting good grades if a child is determined not to be obedient. Schools will use detentions, but again, if a child doesn’t go there isn’t anything that can be done by the school. About the only option a school has for severe punishment is suspension or expulsion, which they generally want to avoid because these also impact the funding they receive.<\/p>\n

Parents aren’t helping either as the school is generally seen as “the enemy.” Parents tend to take the side of their children instead of the side of the teachers and administrators. Since there is no punishment at home for disobedience in the school, again violence and a lack of learning increases.<\/p>\n

I see no reason for taking away options from a school for keeping violence and a disciplined learning environment. Teachers and administrators need tools available to them that allow enforcement of rules. Currently, 28 states prevent corporal punishment in schools. See: “States with Corporal Punishment in Schools<\/a>” for a list. Other forms of punishment which also give benefits such as physical workouts or homework assignments should also be a part of a school’s “arsenal” against disruptive and unruly behavior.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Many parents who use corporal discipline at home are opposed to its use in a Christian school. They feel that only the parent should administer this type of discipline when needed. I have always believed that the school should have the authority to paddle when needed. What are your views on this controversial subject?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[108],"class_list":["post-17126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-spanking"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1941,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-teachers-spank-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":0},"title":"Should teachers spank children?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 22, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I really think that discipline is necessary sometimes. I remember that even teachers used to spank. Do you think it is still a good system of discipline for today? Answer: \"Is there anything of which it may be said, \"See, this is new\"? It has already been in ancient\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13965,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-bare-bottom-spankings-necessary\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":1},"title":"Are bare-bottom spankings necessary?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm glad I came across your website and read so many things from other dads of older boys. I'm a single dad of a 13-year-old boy. I've been needing to spank him for his improper attitude, but I have been very afraid to. Mostly because I'm uptight about male\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adolescence"","block_context":{"text":"Adolescence","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/adolescence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10748,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-rebuttal-to-when-is-a-child-too-old-to-spank\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":2},"title":"A rebuttal to “When is a child too old to spank?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I would like to comment on your article entitled: How do we start biblical discipline when our children are already older?\u00a0I agree with most of what you have written. I believe that corporal punishment can be very effective if it is done in love, not impulsively and not as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13968,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-embarrassed-that-i-spanked-my-daughter-for-skipping-classes\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":3},"title":"I’m embarrassed that I spanked my daughter for skipping classes","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a recently separated mom of three children ages 13, 10 and 8. The older two are girls. My thirteen-year-old really started to act up this school year, only a few months after her father and I separated. She was caught skipping classes twice earlier in the school\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adolescence"","block_context":{"text":"Adolescence","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/adolescence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13978,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-discovered-one-of-my-stepsons-is-looking-at-pornography\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":4},"title":"I discovered one of my stepsons is looking at pornography","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I recently discovered that at least one of my stepsons had downloaded pornography on their computer, which is in their shared bedroom. The fourteen-year-old seems to be the guilty culprit, but he won't own up. The twelve-year-old says it wasn\u2019t him, and I believe him. The law says I\u2019m\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adolescence"","block_context":{"text":"Adolescence","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/adolescence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3684,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-get-over-the-embarrassment-of-spanking-a-teenager\/","url_meta":{"origin":17126,"position":5},"title":"How do you get over the embarrassment of spanking a teenager?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 10, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm glad I came across your website and read so many things from other dads of older boys. I'm a single dad of a 13-year-old boy. I've been needing to spank him for his improper attitude, but I have been very afraid to. 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