2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 18
BY SENATOR FIELDS
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the state Department of Education to study the feasibility of banning the
use of corporal punishment in public schools.
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:416.1 grants public school governing authorities discretion with
respect to the use of corporal punishment and requires the governing authority of each public
elementary and secondary school to adopt rules and regulations regarding the use of corporal
punishment in the schools under its jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, "corporal punishment" is statutorily defined as "using physical force to
discipline a student, with or without an object", and further states that corporal punishment
includes "hitting, paddling, striking, spanking, slapping, or any other physical force that
causes pain or physical punishment"; and
WHEREAS, at least thirty-one states and fifty-four countries have banned the use
of corporal punishment and there is considerable research indicating that corporal
punishment is not an effective deterrent to undesirable behavior; and
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics deems the practice of using
corporal punishment in schools to be a noteworthy cause of aggressive behavior and mental
health problems, as well as being detrimental to a student's academic achievement; and
WHEREAS, in response to the most recent state Department of Education survey,
fifty-four of the state's seventy school districts indicated that corporal punishment is used
in the schools under their jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, corporal punishment disproportionately impacts minorities and students
from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds; and
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WHEREAS, state law prohibits the use of corporal punishment to discipline students
with exceptionalities; it is equally imperative that positive, supportive, effective, and less
harmful means of disciplining students be identified and implemented as an alternative to
corporal punishment.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the state Department of Education to study the feasibility of banning the
use of corporal punishment in public schools.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state Department of Education consider the
research and recommendations of the Advisory Council on Student Behavior and Discipline,
created by R.S. 17:253, and consult with the council in conducting the requested study.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state Department of Education shall submit
a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education
and the House Committee on Education not later than January 31, 2022.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
state superintendent of education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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