Are South Dakota Teachers Allowed to Spank Students in Classrooms?

School is back in session pretty much everywhere here in the Sioux Empire.

Now that the kiddos are back in the classroom, parents have a new set of daily things to worry about. You know, things like, are they making it to class every day, are they getting good grades, are they hanging around with the right group of kids, are they getting bullied, are they smoking, drinking, or doing drugs, are they misbehaving in the classroom? All valid concerns, and all things that cross the minds of responsible parents each and every day.

The great majority of my education happened during the 70s and early 80s, and I think we can all agree it was definitely a different time back then.

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During my grade school years, I attended a parochial school. We had a group of teachers and nuns who wouldn't tolerate students getting out of line in the classroom. When someone did, they put the smackdown on the student. Literally!

I remember one of my teachers had what she referred to as her "Jesse Tree" branch, she would threaten to break that baby out whenever a student would act up in her room. If you got out of line in her class, you were on the receiving end of the stick. One of my fellow students knew that stick quite well I might add. Fortunately, I was not on a first-name basis with the branch.

Growing up in the 70s and even the 80s to a degree, I'm sure most of us have similar type stories to tell. Students who got out of line in class back in those days were thrown into the lockers by a teacher, or placed in some type of chokehold or other unimaginable form of punishment by today's standards.

That kind of corporal punishment no longer flies in the classroom these days, right? Or does it?

Oddly enough, over 70,000 students in 18 different states were spanked in the classroom by a teacher last year alone. A statistic the American Academy of Pediatrics is looking to change.

They want corporal punishment outlawed in every state.

The term corporal punishment refers to the use of physical force, such as slapping, spanking, or hitting, as a means of discipline.

South Dakota no longer allows the use of physical force in maintaining discipline in its public schools according to folks at InfoPlease.com. They banned corporal punishment in 1990. However, at this time there is no such ban for most private schools within the state.

Conversely, neighboring states like North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota have all followed suit and banned corporal punishment as well, they actually banned it one year prior to South Dakota.

Do you think corporal punishment should still be allowed in our schools? In your opinion would it help to curb some of the disciplinary problems going on with our youth in society right now? Or should the topic of discipline fall solely in the hands of the parents and parents only?

Let us know what you think.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics/ InfoPlease