Mississippi school district stops using corporal punishment
Published 2:14 pm Monday, August 12, 2019
(AP) — A Mississippi school district that voted over the summer to eliminate corporal punishment from its discipline policy has finally removed it.
The Oxford Eagle reports the punishment was erased from the Lafayette County School District’s policy during a board meeting last week.
Assistant Superintendent Patrick Robinson initially requested to consider the removal in June. Robinson told the school board then that administrators felt corporal punishment was ineffective and were concerned about possible legal issues. One such issue is that corporal punishment can’t be used on certain students with disabilities.
Corporal punishment still is allowed under Mississippi law. Superintendent Adam Pugh says there are more effective discipline measures the Lafayette County district can take. He said it’s been phased out over the years and mostly used when parents insisted.