Corporal punishment in simple terms is the use of physical force on a child to cause him pain in order to correct his abnormal behavior.
It can also be called physical punishment but it is commonly called corporal punishment in the United States .
19 states in the US currently allow corporal punishment in their schools while more than 160,000 students are victims of it.
The fact that it’s rigidly accepted in the southern States coupled with the fact that the federal government is yet to include the practice in their initiative for School discipline improvement.
The essence of this is to fill the gap of knowledge concerning school corporal punishment by describing its majority and geographic distribution in the United States. Therefore, it’s legal in some districts in Florida.
Contents
What counties in Florida allow corporal punishment?
About 19 counties in Florida allow corporal punishment to be melted on their students as a form of discipline. These counties are as follows:
Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Suwannee, Union, Wakulla, and Washington.
Based on Florida’s law, these counties make use of corporal punishment in correcting their students in as much as it has been approved by the school’s principal before the practice.
However, the principal must have an enacted principles for the administration of the punishment including the kind of offense that may warrant it and under what situations it must be carried out, and the precise person that has to exercise the punishment.
Is beating your child illegal in Florida?
No, it’s not illegal in Florida! In fact the state of Florida permits parents to spank or reasonably discipline a child under their authority.
But if it results to injury or body harm on the child being disciplined then the law considers such as an abuse which is a punishable offence and could put a guardian at great risk of criminal prosecution.
As a parent, you’re expected to train your child and of course, disciplinary measures may be required as a form of training however it needs to be done reasonably.
It’s even stated in the holy book that ‘he who loves his child is careful to discipline him’ therefore, parents are allowed to discipline their child in Florida in as much as you’re careful not to go out of the way like inflicting injuries on the child be it physical injury,
mental injury, or emotional injury whereof you may end up being charged for child abuse or criminal act.
This does not mean that Florida promotes violence against children, infact there are stringent laws against child abuse
Moreover, the freedom to use corporal punishment by Florida’s parents doesn’t have absolute immunity as some can be likened to child abuse like punching and pushing where the child can accidentally fall off with injuries.
Is it illegal to whip your child with a belt in Florida?
Excessive corporal punishment has been defined,
Understandably, some children can be frustrating to the point of pushing their parents to use belts on them
whipping your child with a belt might often results to body injury and by law this is a serious offence;
you might be indirectly calling child protective services or DCFS on your self when you inflict body injury on your child;
if the severity of the injury is worse your child might be removed from you; and there is every chances you will be arrested for child abuse.
However, care should be taken to prevent doing irreversible damage to the child.
Is hitting a child with a shoe illegal in Florida?
While this has called for different opinions and reasons from different angles. Some parents preferred to smack their child as a form of discipline instead of using other alternative measures.
So according to Florida’s law, it is not illegal to hit a child with a shoe. However, some people believe it’s not a proper way of disciplining them as such an act is close to child abuse.
At what age should a child get spanked?
Finding the proper ways to apportion discipline to a toddler can be compared to a child’s play. This is because the real fact is, at this particular phase of the kid’s life, the parents are the ones who need discipline.
Toddlers at this stage are agents of chaos as that’s the best way they’re meant to explore their world while this can be frustrating to their parents or guidance.
Therefore, disciplining a child below age 2 when he is supposed to be learning cogent things isn’t beneficial which is why it may end up on a failed mission.
Instead of this, you can’t effectively discipline a child until they’re at least 2 years old. At this age, such kid is ready for potty training so they should be ready for spanking too.
What does the Bible say about spanking?
Spanking in any form is as old as man itself because it’s seen as part of our culture. This act is often defended in their English-translated Bible, in the book of proverbs with the most quoted verse ” spare the rod and spoil the child”.
This explains that except parents use rods on their children, they may fail to fulfill their parental duties as the child may lack proper upbringing.
King James version further buttress the points with the following proverbs:
Prov 13:24 “he that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth his him chasteneth him often”
Prov 19:18 “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and not let thy soul spare for his crying”
Prov 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child: but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him”
These verses in the old testament or Hebrew Bible and also as a single verse in the new testament attest to God’s support for child discipline so that he may be useful to himself and the society at large.
What does the law say about corporal punishment?
The law of Florida allows corporal punishment if it doesn’t result in abuse or harm. The law of proceedings related to children states that ”
corporal punishment of a child by either his parents or guardian for disciplinary purposes does not include abuse so far it doesn’t end up in harming the child”
and as such, the law strictly back the use of corporal punishment but frowns at child abuse and domestic violence.
Source:Child Discipline in Florida