{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-announces-legislation-to-end-corporal-punishment-in-schools", "Murphy Announces Legislation To End Corporal Punishment In SchoolsRead More", "2020-11-19", "2020", "2020-11", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONU.S.\r\nSenator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education,\r\nLabor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday announced that he is introducing\r\nSenate legislation that would eliminate the use of corporal punishment in\r\nschools across America. The Protecting\r\nOur Students in Schools Act provides a broader definition of corporal\r\npunishment and prohibits the practice of corporal punishment in any school that\r\nreceives federal funding. The legislation would also establish\r\nmuch-needed enforcement protections and a federal grant program to assist\r\nstates and school districts in improving the climate and culture of schools\r\nacross the country. Earlier this year, U.S. Representatives A. Donald\r\nMcEachin (VA-04) andSuzanne Bonamici (OR-01)introduced\r\ncompanion legislation in the U.S. House of\r\nRepresentatives. Corporal\r\npunishment in the classroom is never acceptable and shouldn't be tolerated, said\r\nMurphy. Kids go to\r\nschool to learn in a safe, nurturing environment, and we should never condone\r\nstudents being hit as a means of discipline. It teaches children that violence\r\nis an acceptable response, and creates a culture of fear inside schools that is\r\nnot conducive to learning. And unfortunately, physical punishment, like many\r\nother forms of school discipline, is disproportionately used on\r\nstudentsof color and those with disabilities, making these reforms all\r\nthe more desperately needed. No evidence exists demonstrating that corporal punishment in\r\nschools is an effective response to student behavior, and yet nearly 20 states\r\npermit the sanctioned use of physical violence against students in the\r\nclassroom,said Congressman McEachin.The federal\r\ngovernment must eradicate thisdisgracefulpractice in our schools\r\nthat disproportionately impacts students of color and students with\r\ndisabilities.I am pleased to lead this critical legislation alongside my\r\ncolleagues, Representative SuzanneBonamici andSenator\r\nChrisMurphy,to ensure that all students in federally-funded schools\r\ncan flourish in a safe, healthyand high-quality learning environment. Schools\r\nmust be safe spaces for allstudentsto learn and reach their full\r\npotential,said Congresswoman Bonamici.It\r\nisunconscionablethat corporal punishment is still allowed in many\r\nstates, subjectingstudentsto physical harm that can cause\r\nlong-lasting damage to their physical, mental, and academic well-being. It is\r\nespecially troubling that corporal punishment has long been disproportionately\r\nused against Blackstudentsandstudentswith disabilities.\r\nI'm leading theProtectingOurStudents in SchoolsAct with\r\nRep. McEachin and Sen. Murphy to finallyendcorporal punishment\r\ninourschools, andsupport practicessuch as positive\r\nbehavioral intervention supports (PBIS),that promotesafe and\r\npositive learning environments. Protecting Our Students in Schools Act seeks to: \r\nProhibit the practice of corporal punishment in any school that\r\nreceives federal funding; \r\nEstablish a series of important and much-needed enforcement protections,\r\nincluding a private right of action, the involvement of the attorney general\r\nand the Office for Civil Rights, and a series of rigorous reporting\r\nrequirements for states and school districts; and  \r\nInvest in states and school districts by establishing a grant\r\nprogram to assist in efforts to improve school climate and culture by\r\nimplementing positive, proactive measures, including positive behavioral\r\ninterventions and supports, trauma-informed care, restorative justice\r\ninterventions, implicit bias training, and culturally responsive teaching to\r\nreduce exclusionary and averse discipline practices. For\r\nfull text of the legislation click here. This\r\nlegislation is supported by the Education Trust, American Federation of\r\nTeachers, Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund,National Association Of\r\nSecondary School Principals,the Intercultural Development Research\r\nAssociation,Campaign for Youth Justice,the National PTA,Institute\r\non Violence, Abuse and Trauma, U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children,\r\nAmerican Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, National Initiative to\r\nEnd Corporal Punishment, Nollie Jenkins Family Center, Inc., the\r\nNationalAssociation of PediatricNurse Practitioners, National\r\nPartnership to End Interpersonal Violence,the Council for Exceptional\r\nChildren, the Southern Education Foundation, the Academy of Violence and Abuse. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-announces-legislation-to-end-corporal-punishment-in-schools"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6469811089336872, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}