The Board Of Education. A Documentary About Corporal Punishment In US Public Schools.
Corporal punishment was found to be cruel and unusual punishment by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 1968. It is banned in the U.S. military, in correctional facilities and in mental institutions however, use of the paddle is still allowed in many U.S. public schools. More than two hundred thousand students are hit every year by their teachers, principals or coaches with many incidents resulting in injury.
A bill to ban corporal punishment in public schools on a national level has been introduced, but Congress has yet to acknowledge it by enacting this federal legislation. Historically, the paddle was a tool used to beat slaves in order to cause fear and inflict pain. The United States is the only nation in the western world that still permits the use of corporal punishment in its educational system.
The Board Of Education is a documentary that takes an in-depth and personal look at discipline within the American educational system. The film focuses on the three states with the highest percentage of reported students hit, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. We travel to these states for interviews with politicians, administrators, teachers, parents and students about this polarizing issue.
We raised the funds for our film using Kickstarter. We would not have been able to make this film without the support of the DSLR community and people like you. Today, Kickstarter remains a valid way for filmmakers to raise funds for independent film.
Corporal Punishment is still prevalent in nineteen states with over two hundred thousand students hit every year. What do you do when the teacher is the bully?
-
M Kay Keller
-
M Kay Keller