Study of paddling in school shows racial disparity

Racial disparity found in school paddlings

Boston Globe  August 20, 2008

A study released by the Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union shows that a racial and gender disparity exists in who gets paddled in schools.  Although corporal punishment is outlawed in a majority of states, paddling is practiced in many states across the South.  Black students were more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to receive paddlings, and boys were three times more likely than girls to be paddled.  Special education students were also more likely to receive paddling.