While punishing students by spanking them with paddles at school seems like a scene from Little House on the Prairie , it’s still a reality for students in 19 states across the U.S., an NPR report reveals. [1] Whether it’s a wooden paddle or fiberglass board, students in states like Florida endure the punishments on a daily basis, according to the Center for Effective Discipline [2].
“I been getting them since about first grade,” Lucas Mixon, a junior at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla, told NPR. “It’s just regular. They tell you to put your hands up on the desk and how many swats you’re going to get.”
Cole Long, a senior at the school told NPR that one school official is particularly aggressive.
“The assistant principal, he hurts,” Long says. “I’ve had it plenty of times from him and he gives it to us a little more.”