The Battering School Kids Map

I was horrified to learn today that not only is corporal punishment legal in most of the U.S., but 20 states even allow schools to physically punish young children. The U.S. States Where Corporal Punishment is Allowed - IDRA Map shows where schools are permitted to use corporal punishment and also details how many schoolchildren have been subjected to it.

The map was created by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) using data from the U.S. Department of Education from 2017-2018. A data dashboard of the corporal punishment incidents carried out in this year is also available.

According to the data, approximately 70,000 children were physically punished during the 2017-18 school year. Mississippi reported the highest number of students hit, with 20,388 pupils beaten. Texas (14,264 students beaten) and Alabama (9,174 students beaten) recorded the second and third highest numbers, respectively.

Upon first viewing the IDRA Map (shown at the top of this post), I was immediately reminded of U.S. "Black Belt" maps. It is, therefore, unsurprising to learn from the IDRA that in 2017-2018, "the rate of corporal punishment of Black students was twice as high as that of their white peers." The IDRA also reports that students "with disabilities experience higher rates of corporal punishment than their peers without disabilities."