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Hamilton County Schools superintendent: Corporal punishment may be phased out

Hamilton County Schools superintendent Bryan Johnson, center, speaks with Mary Edwards, right, and Lee Ann Hammer before giving a "State of Our Schools" address to the Hamilton County Council of PTAs in the Hamilton County Department of Education board room on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Hamilton County Schools superintendent Bryan Johnson, center, speaks with Mary Edwards, right, and Lee Ann Hammer before giving a "State of Our Schools" address to the Hamilton County Council of PTAs in the Hamilton County Department of Education board room on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Hamilton County Schools superintendent Bryan Johnson, center, speaks with Mary Edwards, right, and Lee Ann Hammer before giving a "State of Our Schools" address to the Hamilton County Council of PTAs in the Hamilton County Department of Education board room on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

By Rosana Hughes 5 min read

Corporal punishment in Tennessee Code

Any teacher or school principal may use corporal punishment in a reasonable manner against any pupil for good cause in order to maintain discipline and order within the public schools.Title 49 Education; Chapter 6 Elementary and Secondary Education; Part 41 School Discipline Act § 49-6-4103 (2017)

Hamilton County schools are re-evaluating their disciplinary approach this year.

“I’m not a believer in corporal punishment,” schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson said Wednesday during the Hamilton County PTA Council’s “State of Our Schools” meeting. “But, I understand the system has [been doing] that.”

Johnson said a complete halt to physical punishment, such as paddling, has not yet been implemented, but he expects the number of instances to drop now that administrators know it’s not something he and his team support.

“We are not in a place at the moment to just completely stop the practice, but we are looking at doing that,” he said.