Florida Phoenix

HB 1255, passed this spring, requires parents to consent to corporal punishment either for the school year or before each instance the punishment is used in traditional public and charter schools. Kim Winker, the Moms for Liberty Florida legislative chair for the 2025 session, told the Phoenix the law is “the right way to go” and benefits schools, teachers, administrators, parents, and students — and that she, too, was surprised to learn that corporal punishment was still occurring in Florida. “We were concerned that parents were not given the right to opt in to student corporal punishment, and the fact that it was being disproportionately used on disabled students was concerning to us, as well. We wanted to advocate for allowing parents to decide the discipline decisions being made on their children at school,” Winker said, adding that she is “definitely for” an outright ban on corporal punishment. According to data compiled by the Policy Forum, while students with disabilities comprise around 20% of school enrollment, in 2023-2024, they accounted for around 40% of corporal punishment inflictions.