In the Oklahoma state legislature, there’s a bill that would prohibit the use of corporal punishment in schools on disabled students. And it’s having a helluva time getting passed.
No, this is not a headline from several decades ago. This is a debate that is going on today. Apparently, there are still some people who believe that taking away the freedom of teachers to beat disabled kids at school may well contribute to the moral decay of American society.
Oklahoma House Bill 1028 prohibits the use of corporal punishment against students with disabilities when they are attending school. Corporal punishment is defined as “the deliberate infliction of physical pain by hitting, paddling, spanking, slapping or any other physical force used as a means of discipline.”
The bill was introduced and championed by Republican State Representative John Talley. He said corporal punishment was used 455 times on students with disabilities in the last two years at public schools in Oklahoma. But when his bill came to the floor for a vote in March, Republican Representative Jim Olsen expressed his opposition by citing Proverbs 29 from the Bible: “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
Apparently, there are still some people who believe taking away the freedom to beat disabled kids at school may well contribute to the moral decay of American society.
Another Republican Representative, Randy Randleman said, “Let me tell you — a spanking is not abuse.” He also said, “If you don’t balance out nurturing and discipline, you will have many people in prison.”
The final vote was 45-43 in favor of the bill. But since not enough representatives were present to give the bill the 51-vote majority needed to pass, it still failed.
But Talley brought a significantly watered-down version of the bill back for another vote when there were enough members present, and this time it passed 84-8. The amended version does not allow parents of students with “the most significant cognitive disabilities” to sign a waiver consenting to corporal punishment for their child at school. But it is still permissible under the new law to beat children with autism, deafness, blindness, orthopedic impairments, learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, and more.
So now the bill is headed for the state Senate and, if it passes there and is signed by the governor, it becomes state law.
But even if it does, those who fear that anarchy will inevitably ensue can take heart: Its protections will only apply to one category of disabled kids and only when they are in school. Teachers will still be able to hit, paddle, spank, and slap kids—both disabled and not.. And it will still be okay to beat disabled kids when they’re at home.
But still, I can see why opponents are alarmed. Outlawing corporal punishment in schools against some disabled students is bound to lead to a lot of fakery. Kids will be trying to pass themselves off as “significantly” disabled just to avoid getting smacked around by their teachers. Pretty soon, teachers won’t be sure whom they can still beat and whom they can’t.
It will have a real chilling effect on abuse.