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By Tom VitaglioneNC NewslineApril 30 is International Day to End Corporal Punishment, and this year’s theme is “End State-Sanctioned Violence in Schools.”This is especially timely in North Carolina, since there are two bills (Senate Bill 714 and House Bill 983) in the legislature aimed at deleting the current statute that allows and provides immunity for public school personnel who “intentionally inflict pain upon the body of a student as a form of punishment” up to the point that “a student requires care beyond first aid.” (Yes, that’s right, this grisly statute is still in place and yes, this is the 21st century.
)Despite no organized opposition, neither bill is likely to get even a hearing in the legislature. If you’d like the back story, please read on.Virtually all developed countries (and a host of developing countries) prohibit the use of corporal punishment in the public schools.
An exception is the United States, which leaves the issue to the states. Currently, 33 states have statutes prohibiting the practice. You already know that North Carolina, along with the entire South, still sanctions violence against public school students.
Happily, there is a Tar Heel State anomaly: Taking advantage of permission granted by the state, all 115 local school districts prohibit the use of corporal punishment, and no student has been subject to the practice since 2018. This is essentially because more than 80 studies confirm that corporal punishment does not improve academic outcomes, but is associated with negative effects on student educational and psychological development.Given this situation, the logical question is why is the state legislature reluctant to even consider honoring local decision-making by prohibiting corporal punishment by statute? The reason is embedded in the legislative process.
While surveys of legislators indicate overwhelming support for prohibiting the practice, the process allows just a few legislators to block any bill.For example, the House and Senate Rules Committees, through which all bills must go, each has hundreds of bills waiting for a hearing. By rule, a bill must pass at least one chamber by the self-imposed deadline of May 8.
This means most bills will die on that day, simply because the committee chair refused to give a bill a hearing. This will almost certainly be the case with the corporal punishment bills.It is generally thought that laws reflect the norms of a society.
With regard to corporal punishment in the public schools of North Carolina, this is clearly not the case. It is comforting that all local school boards and administrations have taken steps to protect students. It is disconcerting, however, that the state legislature continues to tarnish our reputation by declining to remove a statute that no longer reflects who we are.
Tom Vitaglione has worked as an advocate for children and children’s rights in state government and the nonprofit sector for more than 50 years. This column first appeared on NC Newsline at https://ncnewsline.com/2025/04/30/its-past-time-to-officially-end-state-sanctioned-violence-in-schools/.
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