End corporal punishment

In a story headlined “AC/OV spankings on the decline,” Carleta Weyrich of the The People’s Defender (OH, US) reported that spankings were used in two of the seven Ohio Valley School local education agency (LEA). The 11 spankings reported in the past two years represents a decline from previous time periods, according to school officials.

Adams County/Ohio Valley School district held its annual public corporal punishment meeting on Aug. 25 to discuss the use of spanking in its schools. AC/OVSD is one of 17 districts in the state of Ohio to permit its staff to spank students.

“The number of students who receive corporal punishment in the district has declined,” said Rodney Wallace, supervisor of state and federal programs for the district. Five years ago, corporal punishment was used on 60 students in four of the buildings which still remain in AC/OVSD (after the Manchester split). Of those students, 14 were spanked more than once. During that school year, Peebles High School, West Union High School and Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center did not use corporal punishment

I’m pleased that the frequency of spankings has declined, but I wonder why there should be any, at all. I know of no evidence that spankings alter students’ behavior. And I am pleased that, as Ms. Weyrich reports later in her article, that the state of Ohio is considering House Bill 406 that will prohibit corporal punishment by public school employees.

There are much better ways than spankings to address transgressions of school rules. I hope that the the Ohio Valley Schools adopt effective behavior management procedures and systematically and intensively prepare teachers and administrators in using them. Then, the LEA will be able to report an even-more-substantial decline at its next annual public meeting on corporal punishment.

Link to Ms. Weyrich’s article and to the Ohio Valley School District Web site.