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Think paddling is the key to controlling unruly schoolchildren? Think again. The American Academy of Pediatrics is one of many organizations that now oppose corporal punishment in schools. It says hitting kids impairs their self-image and school achievement. What's more, it says, hitting kids lays the foundation for even more violence and disruptive behavior. If that's the case, why do some states still allow students to be paddled?
With the help of Human Rights Watch, we've assembled the following list of states that permit corporal punishment. Keep clicking to see just where they're still swinging the paddle.
The ranking is based on data from the 2006-2007 school year, the most recent data available.
21. Wyoming
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Paddling is permitted in Wyoming, but no students in the state were paddled during the 2006-2007 school year.
20. Colorado
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Colorado paddled 8 students. That's 0.001 percent of students in the state.
19. Arizona
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Arizona paddled 16 students. That's 0.002 percent of students in the state.
18. Kansas
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Kansas paddled 50 students. That's 0.01 percent of students in the state.
17. Ohio*
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Ohio banned corporal punishment of students in 2009. But during the 2006-2007 school year, the state paddled 672 students, or 0.038 percent of students in the state.
16. Idaho
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Idaho paddled 111 students. That's 0.044 percent of students in the state.
15. Indiana
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Indiana paddled 577 students. That's 0.05 percent of students in the state.
14. North Carolina
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North Carolina paddled 2,705 students. That's 0.19 percent of students in the state.
13. South Carolina
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South Carolina paddled 1,409 students. That's 0.20 percent of students in the state.
12. New Mexico
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New Mexico paddled 705 students. That's 0.22 percent of students in the state.
11. Florida
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Florida paddled 7,185 students. That's 0.26 percent of students in the state.
10. Kentucky
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Kentucky paddled 2,209 students. That's 0.33 percent of students in the state.
9. Missouri
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Missouri paddled 5,129 students. That's 0.55 percent of students in the state.
8. Texas
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Texas paddled 49,157 schoolchildren. That's 1.08 percent of students in the state.
7. Georgia
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Georgia paddled 18,249 students. That's 1.12 percent of students in the state.
6. Tennessee
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Tennessee paddled 14,868 students. That's 1.47 percent of students in the state.
5. Louisiana
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Louisiana paddled 11,080 students. That's 1.69 percent of students in the state.
4. Oklahoma
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Oklahoma paddled 14,828 students. That's 2.33 percent of students in the state.
3. Alabama
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Alabama paddled 33,716 students. That's 4.54 percent of students in the state.
2. Arkansas
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Arkansas paddled 22,314 students. That's 4.67 percent of students in the state.
1. Mississippi
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When it comes to paddling students' bottoms, Mississippi is tops. It paddled 38,131 schoolchildren, or 7.50 percent of those in the state.
