The cycle of violence often impacts families and young adolescents within poverty stricken communities. Many Indiana school corporations fail to recognize the trauma from violence and its impact on a child's ability to learn, grow and develop. Indiana is one of nineteen States in which corporal punishment is still legal and practiced in public schools.

Unfortunately, I was a witness to corporal punishment policies being practiced within one Indiana school corporation. I spent several months working with at risk children who lived within impoverished conditions. Many of the adolescents I worked with often had been exposed to violent situations every day. The school I partnered with was a school designed for kids with behavioral challenges and learning disabilities. When a new administrative team took over at the school they began to become frustrated with many of the students behaviors.The new administrative team enacted corporal punishment policies into their discipline plan. Coming from a behavioral health background I expressed my concerns and my disagreements with the new policy. My concerns were quickly ignored and shortly after I resigned from my position. However, the long term concerns for the mental stability of Indiana children is still a reality. 

All children have a right to attend school without the fear of being beaten for the mistakes they make. Schools need to lead by example and work to show students that violence is not the way to resolve issues. I hope you agree that our education system can do a better job at supporting the healthy development of our youth. I know that together we can develop an educational system focused on teaching our young people the skills needed to be successful. Creating a stable, productive and safe future for our young people is something that we can all stand for.