Should authorities in the schools ever be permitted to subject students to corporal punishment?

Con: Authorities are unlikely to be unbiased in their administration of corporal punishment.

Pro: Authorities can administer corporal punishment fairly.

Con: Corporal punishment is inconsistent with the educational mission of most schools. Corporal punishment is not the best way to teach youngsters how to behave appropriately in society.

Pro: Corporal punishment is only one of a number of ways that educators can modify the behavior and shape the character of students. For some students, this method of punishment may be the most effective. Indeed, in some cases, it may be the only effective method.

Con: Those who administer corporal punishment may go beyond communicating disapproval and deterring inappropriate behavior and injure the recipient.