XI. Conclusion
Corporal punishment is abusive, ineffective, and violates international human rights law: it should be immediately abolished in the US. Children like Landon and Jonathan, profiled at the beginning of this report, suffer the consequences of these abusive practices on a daily basis. Given the particular vulnerability of students with disabilities, they must receive immediate protection from all forms of physical violence in schools, including but not limited to paddling, beating, and excessive restraint. Corporal punishment violates children's right to freedom from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and contributes to a hostile school environment in which students struggle to learn. Landon, Jonathan, and their peers already face enormous obstacles to obtaining an inclusive education: they deserve a safe school environment in which they can learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
Corporal punishment is abusive for all children, but it has particularly severe effects for students with disabilities. Not only is it ineffective in teaching them appropriate behaviors, it can cause lasting mental and physical injury, and it can make students aggressive and unable to learn. For students with disabilities, corporal punishment can be followed directly by a decline in their medical conditions.
Despite their particular vulnerability to harm from corporal punishment, and their special need for care and guidance in the public school system, students with disabilities are subjected to these practices at disproportionately high rates. This affects these students' rights to non-discrimination and an inclusive education. When parents try to defend their children's rights, they can face serious obstacles even to obtaining basic information.
These discriminatory, abusive, and ineffective practices should be abolished in US schools. There are better methods of providing effective school discipline, including positive behavioral support systems that enable educators to respond to children's individual needs. It is past time for US states to ban paddling and all other forms of physical punishment, and provide adequate protection and a decent education for students with disabilities.