Kansas Bill Would Allow Spanking That Leaves Marks

Parents and teachers could administer up to 10 spanks, says proposal

  • Share
  • Read Later

A Kansas lawmaker has proposed a bill that would allow parents and teachers to spank children hard enough to leave a mark.

The bill proposed by Representative Gail Finney, a Wichita Democrat, would allow up to 10 spanks on a child’s clothed buttocks that result in redness or swelling, and would allow parents to give permission for others (like teachers) to spank their kids, the Associated Press reports. The current law in Kansas prevents any spanking that leaves a mark.

Finney said her bill aims to restore parental rights and improve discipline, and still prohibits hitting children on the head or body, or with fists, belts, or switches.

It is unclear whether the legislature will even take up this bill, and it is not considered likely to pass.

MORE: Kansas Bill Allowing Businesses to Snub Gay Couples is “Dead”

The spanking bill is just the latest controversial bill to be presented in the Kansas legislature recently. Earlier this week, a proposed bill that would permit Kansas businesses to discriminate against gay couples on the basis of religious beliefs was pronounced “dead” by a top state senator.

[AP]