My name is Laurence Parmentier-Reeds and as a mother, early childhood educator and citizen, every day I do my best to live by values of respect, love, and non‑violence that we all want to pass on to future generations.
And yet, today in California, the law still allows the opposite.

Did you know that in California it is still legal for parents and private schools to use physical force, such as spanking, as “discipline,” as long as it’s considered “reasonable” and doesn’t cause visible injury?
In plain words, striking a child with a paddle is permitted.

This is an educational, ethical, and scientific failure.

Decades of research have proven:

Corporal punishment is not effective.

It causes lasting harm to a child’s emotional and neurological development. It increases stress, anxiety, depression, aggression, and makes it harder to build healthy relationships later in life. 

The studies are clear:

• The Lancet (2021): corporal punishment is linked to more behavioral problems, with no improvement in compliance.
• Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child: early exposure to toxic stress, including physical punishment, alters brain architecture and raises lifelong risks for mental and physical health problems.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics officially opposes all corporal punishment and recommends positive discipline strategies instead.

Around the world, change is already happening.
63 countries, including France, Germany, and Sweden, have banned corporal punishment in all settings, both public and private.

California could be the first to lead the way in the United States.

I stand against the use of physical discipline in California.

Through this petition, I am calling for:

• A ban on corporal punishment in homes and private schools;
• A review of existing laws that still allow this practice;
• Educational policies based on science, respect, and love.

Sign this petition to help make our homes and private schools safe, respectful, and nurturing spaces for every child.
Today I am writing alone, but I know I am not alone in believing this.