The education secretary has called for corporal punishment to be banned in all schools, warning that the practice has a negative impact on students’ health and academic performance.

John B King Jr wrote to governors and school leaders in states that still sanction corporal punishment saying it would be considered “criminal assault or battery” if used against an adult.

“[It] is harmful, ineffective, and often disproportionately applied to students of color and students with disabilities,” Mr King wrote. “If you have not already, I urge you to eliminate this practice from your schools, and instead promote supportive, effective disciplinary measures.”

Corporal punishment - most commonly with a paddle - is outlawed in 28 states, but is still permitted in the remaining 22, Dr King said.

According to the Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), over 110,000 students were subject to corporal punishment in school during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Research compiled by the CRDC found that black students were more likely to face corporal punishment than their white peers.

A report released by the Brookings Institution think-tank published earlier this year found that seven Southern states - Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma - account for 80 per cent of incidences of corporal punishment.

More than a third of students subjected to corporal punishment are black, despite them making up only 16 per cent of the total public school population, Dr King states in his letter.

“In states where students were subjected to corporal punishment, black boys were 1.8 times as likely as white boys to be subject to corporal punishment, and black girls were 2.9 times as likely as white girls,” the education secretary wrote.

“Disparities in the use of in-school corporal punishment are not limited to race; boys and students with disabilities experience higher rates of corporal punishment,” he added.

Mr King also raised concerns about the long-term impact of corporal punishment on students when they become adults, including lifelong mental health issues, alcohol and drug dependence and personality disorders.

“This practice has no place in the public schools of a modern nation that plays such an essential role in the advancement and protection of civil and human rights,” he added.

The letter comes a day after an open letter was published by the National Women’s Law Center, which represents organisations including the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, also calling for an end to corporal punishment.

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