Review of Corporal Punishment Hits Nerve in Memphis

By John Gehring

A decision by the Memphis school board to review the district’s corporal-punishment policy has touched off a debate over the use of physical force to discipline students.

One resolution being studied by a board committee would ban the practice in schools. Another proposal would keep the punishment, but clarify the policy to specifically give parents the right to decide whether they would allow their children to be physically punished.

While many states have banned corporal punishment in schools, Tennessee law allows local districts to draft their own rules on the issue. Several districts in the state, including the Nashville public schools, have done away with the...