Dear Education Policymaker,

Do teachers in your state have the right to physically punish schoolchildren? Does that trouble you? Consider the following. A husband no longer has a right to physically "chastise an errant wife." Members of the military may no longer be punished by whipping. Laborers may no longer be physically goaded by bosses. The flogging posts have long since been removed from the prisons. The elderly and the mentally ill are protected from physical maltreatment. Animal trainers aren't permitted to use cruel methods. Yet in the schools of 22 states of the U.S., between 1/3 and 1/2 million beatings of children under the pretext of "discipline" occur every year resulting in injuries like the ones you can see below - not to mention other effects, e.g., depression, school phobia, school vandalism, student-on-student bullying, poor academic performance, high drop-out rate, and a list of other problems too long to include here. Is your state one of those 22? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

This problem will not go away if we simply ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist. We all have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to stop this outrageous exploitation of schoolchildren. All talk of improving American education, while ignoring corporal punishment, is hypocrisy.

The pictures that follow are authentic records of brutality perpetrated in our classrooms. If you find them offensive, we understand that. We find them offensive too. But far more offensive than pictures is the act itself.

WARNING - The images below may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. They must not be viewed by children. Do not scroll down if children are present.