For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Angela Allmond, Communications Director
Oklahoma Democratic Party
angela@okdemocrats.org

It’s Time to Remove Corporal Punishment from All Schools

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, — AUGUST 23, 2023 – The Oklahoma Democratic Party agrees with the Council on School Health and the American Academy of Pediatricians that corporal punishment should be “abolished in all states by law.” Data suggests that corporal punishment doesn’t work in the long run, creating lifelong problems for children. Oklahoma does not have a statewide ban on corporal punishment, but most school districts have discontinued the practice. Still, about 10% still allow it.

“When you know that 96% of schools in the country report that they have removed corporal punishment from the classroom, yet 70 thousand students continue to be struck each year, mostly in southern states, more must be done to remove corporal punishment entirely from schools,” said Alicia Andrews, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

In Oklahoma, a bill presented in the 2023 legislative session to end corporal punishment in schools for students with disabilities failed. This is an outdated method that needs to end. ” Andrews continued.

“It’s troubling that black, brown, and disabled students are hit more often, creating issues with low academic achievement and higher dropout rates. It has been proven that positive intervention is more effective and supports better conflict resolutions that teach children how to address issues without fear of being hit, yelled at, insulted, or neglected by authority. Understanding what a child is experiencing that leads to poor behavior helps keep children in school and teaches life lessons on responding to conflicts they have been unable to understand or are out of their control due to their environment,” Andrews concluded.

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For more information about the Oklahoma Democratic Party, visit the party website at okdemocrats.org, or call party headquarters at 405-427-3366.