The Louisiana House on Tuesday rejected a bill that would prohibit corporal punishment in public elementary and secondary schools.
House Bill 324 received a final vote of 48-49.
Authored by District 94 representative Stephanie Hilferty (R), the bill would have prohibited any form of corporal punishment, like spanking, in public elementary and secondary schools.
The law currently gives local school boards discretion in the use of corporal punishment for students and requires them to adopt rules to implement and control its use. It prohibits the administration of corporal punishment to students with exceptionalities and with disabilities.
29 school systems allow spanking, while 40 systems ban it, according to The Advocate.
Critics said the bill would "usurp the rights of local school districts to decide the issue for themselves," with one representative saying rules are in effect to make sure corporal punishment is done properly.
Hilferty said the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes corporal punishment because of harmful effects on kids, adding that the Legislature routinely enacts laws for the entire state.
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