The Florida legislature granted local school boards the option to abolish corporal punishment in schools in 1989. Fourteen Florida school districts did so from 1989 to 1992. This study proposed to answer the following questions related to assessing the impact of Florida's public policy authorizing districts to prohibit the use of corporal punishment: (1) What is the legal context for addressing corporal punishment policies in the United States? (2) What Florida school districts have banned corporal punishment since legislative authorization in 1989? (3) Within those districts which prohibit the use of corporal punishment, what trends are discernable with regard to such discipline alternatives as suspension, in-school suspension, referrals to courts or juvenile authorities, referrals to dropout prevention programs, and expulsion since enactment of the law? (4) Is there a difference in disciplinary actions taken for misbehavior in districts that have banned corporal punishment versus those that have not banned corporal punishment? (5) Have discipline alternatives been developed in districts which banned corporal punishment? / The study utilized an historical-legal case analysis of selected cases relating to issues of civil liability, criminal prosecution, cruel and unusual punishment, due process of law, equal protection of the law, and teacher dismissal affecting the use of corporal punishment in schools. The courts support the view that the use of corporal punishment is permissible when properly authorized and administered reasonably and in conformance with clear policy guidelines. / The study involved two survey approaches. First, Florida school districts were surveyed to identify districts that had banned corporal punishment. Second, selected school administrators were surveyed regarding the administration of student discipline. Survey data was compared with district reports relating to instances of discipline. / Trends that were noted include: (1) For districts banning corporal punishment, the incidence of suspension (both types) has increased. (2) Districts that have not formally banned corporal punishment reported modest declines in its use. (3) No new discipline alternatives were reported to have been developed in districts banning corporal punishment. (4) The use of suspension and parent conferencing increased markedly in districts banning corporal punishment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 2950. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77530 |
| Contributors | Groomes, Eldrige Alliston., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 119 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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