The Three Rivers Independent School District Board in Texas approved a vote to reinstate corporal punishment this past Tuesday, July 18. The school district is looking at utilizing the paddle as the primary means of disciplinary punishment.

Corporal punishment is defined as deliberate physical punishment by means of paddling, spanking, slapping, or any other physical means used as a form of discipline. School board trustees voted 6-0 on the matter and the policy reads that a campus designated "behavior coordinator" or principal may administer the disciplinary paddle.

The school district states that parents will have the option to allow their child to be punished in this way. According to school officials, each student receives a paddling for a behavioral infraction but if parents who opted in are uncomfortable at any time they may opt out.

Is there a place for corporal punishment in primary school today?

Source: USA Today