Overview

The right of a child to feel safe in their school is crucial to fostering their ability to learn.  Unfortunately the laws in many states allow school personnel to physically abuse the children in their care, to use corporal punishment, often without notifying the children’s family.  State law in 15 states expressly permit corporal punishment, and 6 other states permit corporal punishment through their case law.  Like most methods of school discipline, usage of corporal punishment has a severely disproportionate impact on students of color.

Last Congress, Representative McEachin introduced the Protecting our Students in Schools Act which, if passed, would outlaw corporal punishment at the federal level.  It was widely supported by students and advocates but unfortunately it was not enacted.  The goal of this project is to identify where in each state’s code or case law the authority to use corporal punishment exists, so that we can write a report that will enable advocates or legislators to easily draft legislation to forbid its use.  

Project Details:

• Seeking teams of attorneys from law firms and/or corporate legal departments

• Research where in each state’s code or case law the authority to use corporal punishment exists

• Data will be used in report for advocates and legislators

• No prior experience required

• Training and mentorship provided

• 50 - 100 total hours of work (can be broken up between multiple pro bono partners)

• Deadline is November 7, 2021

To express interest in this project, please fill out the form on this page and select “Lawyers for Racial Justice: State Laws on Corporal Punishment in Public Schools” in the Projects field. In the “Questions / Comments” field, please provide an estimate of how many total hours your attorneys will be able to contribute.