Illinois Becomes Fifth US State to Ban Corporal Punishment in Schools

Illinois has announced it is banning the use of corporal punishment in all schools, becoming the fifth state in the nation to do so.

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-IL, signed into law this month the legislation that prohibits corporal punishment in all private schools in the state. That same law also reiterates a ban on the use of physical punishment in public schools, which was first introduced 30 years ago, AP News reported.

The ban comes after the American Association of Pediatrics noted that the practice of using corporal punishment in schools increases behavioral and mental health problems as well as impairs the cognitive development of students. Additionally, the association said corporal punishment is disproportionately administrated to Black students and those with disabilities.

"The use of corporal punishment in schools is not an effective or ethical method for management of behavior concerns and causes harm to students. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that corporal punishment in all school settings be abolished in all states by law and replaced by alternative forms of student behavior management," the association added.

READ ALSO: San Diego School Disciplined Elementary Students Via Planking On Hot Surface, Corporal Punishment Complaint Dismissed

What Other Organizations Say About Corporal Punishment?

Apart from the American Association of Pediatrics, other health organizations have also called for the end of corporal punishment. In 1990, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child established an obligation that aims to prohibit all corporal punishment of children. In November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) decreed corporal punishment to be a "violation of children's rights."

WHO defines corporal punishment as any punishment where force is used to cause some degree of pain or discomfort. This involves spanking, smacking, and slapping a child with a hand or tool such as a whip, belt, or stick. It also involves kicking, shaking, pinching, biting, forced ingestion, burning, scalding, and forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions.

Other States Where Corporal Punishment Is Banned

Apart from Illinois, corporal punishment in schools is also outlawed in New Jersey, which banned it in 1867; Iowa, which eliminated it in private schools in 1989; and Maryland and New York, which prohibited physical punishment in private schools in 2023.

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