HB 1682, which allows parents of students with disabilities to prevent their children from being subject to corporal punishment, was passed unanimously by the House Judiciary II Committee today. The bill also requires that school districts report the race or ethnicity, grade level, the number of students with disabilities subject to corporal punishment, and the reason for the administration of corporal punishment to the Department of Public Instruction annually. According to the federal Department of Education, students with disabilities were subject to corporal punishment at schools 290 times in North Carolina in 2006. This bill will help parents, school districts and the state keep better track of how corporal punishment is administered in this state. It also allows parents, who are often the best advocates for their children and understand their disability better than school personnel, the ability to protect their child from being struck at school. The bill could be on the House floor as early as June 9th.

Learn more by reading the ACLU and Human Rights Watch Reports on the use of corporal punishment on students with disabilities