Dr. Jeff Jones, principle of Tongue River Middle School, is asking the public to contact their legislators to show support in removing the legal protections of corporal punishment in Wyoming’s public schools.
Jones has been advocating for the outlawing of corporal punishment in Wyoming’s public school’s for approximately three years. He wrote his dissertation, “An Analysis of Wyoming Public School Administrators’ Perceptions on the Use of Corporal Punishment in Wyoming Public Schools” to inform and educate the public on the realities of administering corporal punishment in the public school system.
Jones has been working in the education field for thirty years, in that time he has taught both traditional students in the public school system as well as instructed educational students at the collegiate level.
While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse program, Jones told listeners it was during the preparation of a history lesson for his education students that he discovered the practice remains legally protected in Wyoming.
According to Jones, while corporal punishment was legal in Wyoming public schools, it still came down to each individual school district as to whether the practice was permitted in their schools. Of the 48 school districts in Wyoming, Jones wanted to know how many allowed it in board policy. So he began reading through school board policy for all 48 districts.
Since he performed the study, the policies of certain school districts have changed. Jones reports the newest information to his knowledge is of the 48 districts in Wyoming, 28 districts do not permit corporal punishment, 18 districts do not mentioned in policy at all and it may be assumed those districts do not allow it and two districts allow corporal punishment as board policy.
To determine how fellow educators and administrators felt about the practice, Jones sent a survey to all building level administrators – principals and assistant principals – and in the smallest school districts with just one administrator, to the K-12 superintendent. One hundred eleven administrators completed the survey, a return rate of 41% which is considered statistically very strong, Jones said.
The results of that survey found that early 90% of the administrators either “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” with the item, “I believe corporal punishment should remain legal in Wyoming public schools.”
Jones notes that the administrators overwhelmingly agreed that its use would not be an effective disciplinary practice in their schools. Jones also states that arguably just as important was that 93% of respondents either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the item, “I believe the disciplinary practices being used at our school work well for most students.”
Jones told listeners that disciplinary practices have changed through the years, and studys on corporal punishment show that the practice is more detrimental to behavior modification of students than beneficial.
Jones is asking residents to contact their legislators and show support for the removal of the legal protections of corporal punishment in Wyoming public schools.
Find the full show featuring Dr. Jeff Jones, here.
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Last modified: October 19, 2022