CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

School corporal punishment refers to inflicting deliberate physical and emotional pain or discomfort in response to undesired behavior by students in schools. Corporal punishment as a means of discipline shall not be used against a student by any teacher, administrator, officer, employee or agent of this School District.

 In the event of an emergency, if primary procedures and methods, which would not involve physical force (as outlined in the district code of conduct), are not effective, and danger is imminent, then the use of reasonable physical force or restraint may be used under the following circumstances:

 1. To protect oneself from serious physical injury;

2. To protect another student or any other person from serious physical injury;

Whenever a school employee uses physical force or restrains a student, the school employee shall, within the same school day, make a report to the Superintendent or his/her designee describing in detail the circumstances and the nature of the action taken.  The Superintendent or his/her designee shall develop procedures for ensuring the student is assessed medically after such incident and the proper notifications and documentation occurs.

The Superintendent of Schools shall submit a written report semi-annually to the Commissioner of Education, with copies to the Board of Education, by January 15 and July 15 of each year, setting forth the substance of each written complaint about the use of corporal punishment received by the Schenectady City School District authorities during the reporting period, the results of each investigation, and the action, if any, taken by the school authorities in each case.

Principals will be sent a reporting form to complete each reporting period (by OPA).  

For more information:

• Schenectady City School District Board of Education Code 7350

• Rules of the Board of Regents Section 19.5

• 8 New York Code of Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) Section 100.2(l)(3) says Corporal punishment:

i. The term corporal punishment, as used in this section, shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in section 19.5(b)(2) of this Title.

ii.In every school district and supervisory district, the trustee, trustees, board of education or board of cooperative educational services, shall submit a written semiannual report to the Commissioner of Education, by January 15th and July 15th of each year, commencing July 1, 1985 through the 2023-2024 school year, setting forth the substance of each complaint about the use of corporal punishment received by the local school authorities during the reporting period, the results of each investigation, and the action, if any, taken by the school authorities in each case. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the reporting provisions of section 19.5(e) of this Title and paragraph (2) of subdivision (bb) of this section shall apply.