A school district in the US state of Missouri has reintroduced caning. Since the beginning of the new school year, the 1,900 students in the district around 100 kilometers south-west of Springfield have been able to be corporally punished again if their parents agree to this form of discipline.
The district had abolished caning in 2001; in June, the school authorities decided to reintroduce it. The policy stipulates that children may only be hit when other forms of punishment, such as suspension from school, have had no effect.
A spokeswoman for the school district could not be reached for comment Friday. Child development experts have long opposed caning. The US Supreme Court ruled that corporal punishment of children was constitutional in 1977, leaving states free to make their own laws. In 2016, 19 states still allowed the practice.