Comptroller’s Office reviews corporal punishment in Tennessee schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability has released a new report on corporal punishment in Tennessee public schools.

Corporal punishment refers to paddling, spanking or other forms of physical punishment imposed on a student, according to a release from the comptroller’s office.

The report also includes the analysis of its use for students with disabilities.

Here is a list of analysis that was found during the review.

· The use of corporal punishment varies in districts where it is allowed. In the 2013-14 school year, 907 schools were located in districts allowing corporal punishment. Of those 907 schools, 40 percent reported using it to discipline students.

· Students with disabilities received corporal punishment at a higher statewide rate than students without disabilities for two of the three most recent reporting years.

· The number of students with disabilities receiving corporal punishment declined from 2009-10 to 2013-14, but not as much as the decline for students without disabilities. There were about seven percent fewer students with disabilities who received corporal punishment in 2013-14 than in 2009-10, while the number of students without disabilities receiving corporal punishment declined by about 46 percent across the same time frame.

· Of the schools that used corporal punishment for students with and without disabilities, about 80 percent used corporal punishment at a higher rate for students with disabilities in all three reporting years.

The office reviewed 148 school board policies and determined that 109 districts have a policy which allows corporal punishment.

For more on the report, visit the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury website.