The most basic right people of any age have is the right to physical safety, the right not to be harmed or touched against your will. Yet there are public schools in America where students are routinely hit by the very authority figures entrusted to keep them safe. Even in 2012, corporal punishment is still legal in several states.
If a warden used corporal punishment on an adult convicted of rape or murder, that would be illegal. Our Constitution forbids such cruel and unusual punishment. But when a teacher does the same thing to a defenseless child guilty of chewing gum, our government allows it.
This needs to end.
Representative Carolyn McCarthy has introduced HR 3027 (the Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act) to finally protect students in every state. But this bill cannot pass without widespread support.
That’s why, June 20-22, NYRA will join The Hitting Stops Here and other youth rights allies in a Washington, DC rally to demand passage of HR 3027. And you can help.
How You Can Help
- Come to Washington, DC and join our events. The more people who show up, the more attention we draw.
- If you can’t make it, but still want to be part of the action, give us a message we can read at the rally. Tell us your story.
- Write, email, or phone your Representative in Congress and ask her to support HR 3027. Let Congress see that people care about this issue.
- Donate money. Fighting in the political arena requires resources, and every dollar makes us stronger.
Rally details here.
the fact that we reject corporal punishment of adult criminals in and of itself settles the case against corporal punishment of children. anyone who does not want to end corporal punishment of children must insist on its reintroduction for adult criminals.