In 1977, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled school corporal punishment was constitutional. Missouri is one of 19 states that hasn’t banned corporal punishment in schools.

During an anonymous third-party survey with school employees and parents, it has been agreed that this corporal punishment will remain in place if the parents approve.

As of June 2022, Cassville public schools in Missouri have implemented corporal punishment as a last resort. Instead of another suspension, students would get the corporal punishment.

This means that after a student’s suspension, the principal can get approval from their parents to spank the student if their behavior doesn’t change at school. 

The schools have rules for when it comes to spanking.

The principal has to write out the reason with another administrator present. If the student is younger, they can only get spanked twice, while older kids can get spanked up to three times. 

Although some parents approve of this corporal punishment becuase it teaches their child that their actions come with consequences, other parents are saying they shouldn’t be allowed, as it is inappropriate. 

Some argue that Missouri should not turn to corporal punishment because it can add a lot pressures and issues to students. Licensed psychologist named, Dr. Elise N. Felman has evaluated the issues that spanking could cause.

For instance, Felman notes that students who have behavioral problems at school are, in most cases, experiencing emotional distress. This means something might be happening at home with their parents that causes them stress and to lash out, implying that corporal punishment will not help the students if they have personal problems going on.

Spanking won’t help the behavioral problems, but will instead cause the student to have more distress, as spanking can increase aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury, and mental health issues. 

Spanking teaches children to bottle their emotions and submit to authority, which doesn’t help them cope. 

Since the pandemic, corporal punishment has increased at home as well based on an NBCDFW interview with Felman.

Incorporating this into school will make it worse for the students. If students don’t listen after being punished, that may be a sign that they need help – not a worse punishment.  The schools should check in with the student and try to help instead of applying corporal punishment.