Should Schools Bring Back Corporal Punishment?

June 23, 2010— -- After a five-year ban on corporal punishment, the Memphis City School Board is considering bringing the paddle back into the classrooms.

At a board meeting Tuesday night, School Board Commissioner Kenneth Whalum put forth a resolution to allow corporal punishment in Memphis classrooms, but questioned whether it would garner enough support from fellow commissioners, according to the ABC affiliate in Memphis.

Commissioner Sharon Webb believed the resolution should be discussed, and said she had heard from parents and teachers who favored a return to the paddle.

"I think it is a conversation we need to have, so they can have clarity and closure," said Webb, adding that although she supported a discussion about corporal punishment, she did not necessarily believe it should be brought back to Memphis schools.

"The teachers told me they want it back," said Whalum, "They are tired of not having any discipline in the classroom." Whalum said if teachers wanted corporal punishment to return, and parents supported it, then board members should honor their wishes. "They elect us," she said.

The debate over corporal punishment is one that continues on both a local and federal level.

Corporal punishment has waned over the years, but remains legal in 20 states, mostly in the South.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-New York) is expected to introduce a bill in the next few weeks that would institute a federal ban on corporal punishment in all U.S. schools.

So our question to you today: Should Schools Bring Back Corporal Punishment, or Should It Be Banned?