Ban Corporal Punishment in All Schools (Massachusetts)

Unbelievably, corporal punishment - hitting students in the name of discipline - is still practiced in American schools with no federal protections in place. Thirty (30) states, including Massachusetts, have banned this barbaric practice for public school students, but just five (5) states have extended the ban to private schools.

Now is the time to foreclose any possibility that a private school student in Massachusetts could be harmed by this practice - now is the time to pass H.625.

Corporal punishment is downright cruel. Not only can children experience significant physical injury, corporal punishment does not improve (and may worsen) behavioral challenges and may exacerbate the child’s underlying issues. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended schools stop using corporal punishment due to the physical and psychological harm it causes to young people.

Schools should have access to evidence-based practices that improve the lives of kids - not physical punishment.