End School Corporal Punishment

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Louisiana

Legal in public schools

Louisiana is the clearest opt-in state: since August 2023 a school may not paddle without the parent's signed annual consent on the state form. A 2022 survey found 27 systems prohibiting and 19 allowing of 46 responding. 264 students in 2021-22; 65 in 2023-24. No bill in 2025 or 2026.

The law

La. R.S. 17:416.1(B) (public; Acts 2017 No. 266, 2023 No. 268, 2024 No. 780) and 17:416.22 (state-funded nonpublic schools) text

Limits

  • Prohibited in any public school unless the parent gives written consent for that school year on a form created by the state Department of Education (Act 268 of 2023, HB 242, effective August 1, 2023)
  • No corporal punishment on a student with an exceptionality (other than gifted) or an Individual Accommodation Plan (Act 266 of 2017)
  • Taping a student's mouth or otherwise restricting the airway is prohibited regardless of consent (Act 780 of 2024, HB 107)
  • The same rules apply to any nonpublic school that receives state funds (R.S. 17:416.22)

Bills

  • HB 242 (Act 268) (2023 Regular Session), Rep. Stephanie Hilferty: Written annual parental opt-in on a state form; House 74-21, Senate 37-1, signed June 9, 2023 signed record
  • HB 107 (Act 780) (2024 Regular Session), Rep. Bayham: Ban on mouth-taping and airway restriction regardless of consent; law without signature June 25, 2024 signed record
  • HB 649 (2022 Regular Session): Opt-in consent; passed the House, died at sine die (the Global Initiative wrongly reports it as passed) failed record
  • HB 324 (2021 Regular Session): Full ban; failed the House 48-49 failed record

Sources: 1 2 3 4 · verified 2026-09-09

Students struck

YearStudentsBlackBoysWith disabilitiesPer 1,000
2017-181,301786
2021-222649223450.39
2023-2465245610.10

US Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection. Students, not incidents; 2023-24 computed by this project from the raw file.

Counties

Louisiana has 189 school districts in 64 counties. Each district is drawn in the colour of its own policy; hover one for its name and rule, click to jump to its row. Counties show through where no district is recorded yet.
Tangipahoa Acadia Bienville East Carroll Vermilion Evangeline Cameron Pointe Coupee St. Mary Red River St. Charles Iberia East Baton Rouge Grant De Soto Webster Calcasieu Lincoln Union Sabine Vernon Caldwell Lafayette St. Bernard East Feliciana West Feliciana St. Helena Richland LaSalle Assumption Claiborne Concordia Tensas Jackson Jefferson Davis Jefferson Madison Bossier Morehouse Orleans Ouachita Washington Lafourche St. James Terrebonne Livingston Ascension Rapides Catahoula Natchitoches Franklin St. Landry St. John the Baptist West Baton Rouge Allen Iberville Beauregard Avoyelles St. Martin Winn West Carroll Caddo Plaquemines St. Tammany
A district's policy allows it (13)Parental consent required (7)No written rule found; the district reports using it (28)Every sourced district prohibits it (7)No district recorded yet: state law applies (9)

The map is counties, and most counties hold several districts: green when every recorded district prohibits it, striped when some prohibit and some permit, red when a district permits it. The table below is district by district. Counties take the state's status unless a recorded district differs. Boundaries: US Census Bureau (public domain). District policies with a source link are verified; the rest were carried over from the original map and are being re-checked.

Districts

57 of 189 Louisiana districts listed; 57 checked against the district's own policy. The rest are marked not checked: the pre-2026 map carried a status for them with no source, and the first ones re-checked in 2026 were wrong more often than not, so those values are shown only as a note and are not used to colour the map. Help check this state.

"Struck 2023-24" is the district's own figure from its own Civil Rights Data Collection filing, joined by federal district id. A blank means the district is not among the 832 the collection names, which can mean it reported none or that it reported nothing at all — the public-use file does not distinguish the two, so no claim is made either way.

DistrictCountyPaddlingStruck 2023-24PhonesAIHS startSourceVerified
Acadia ParishAcadia ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Allen ParishAllen ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Ascension ParishAscension ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Assumption ParishAssumption ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Avoyelles ParishAvoyelles ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
Beauregard ParishBeauregard ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Bienville ParishBienville ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Bossier Parish SchoolsBossierAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Caddo Parish SchoolsCaddoProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Calcasieu Parish SchoolsCalcasieuNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Caldwell ParishCaldwell ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Cameron ParishCameron ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Catahoula ParishCatahoula ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
City Of Baker School DistrictEast Baton Rouge ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Claiborne ParishClaiborne ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Desoto ParishDe Soto ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
East Baton Rouge ParishEast Baton RougeProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
East Feliciana ParishEast Feliciana ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
Evangeline ParishEvangeline ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
Franklin ParishFranklin ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Iberia ParishIberia ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Jackson ParishJackson ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Jefferson Parish SchoolsJeffersonNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Lafayette Parish SchoolsLafayetteNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Lafourche ParishLafourche ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Lincoln ParishLincoln ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Livingston ParishLivingston ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-24
Madison ParishMadison ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Morehouse ParishMorehouse ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Natchitoches ParishNatchitoches ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Orleans Parish SchoolsOrleansNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Ouachita Parish SchoolsOuachitaNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Plaquemines ParishPlaquemines ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Pointe Coupee ParishPointe Coupee ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Rapides Parish SchoolsRapidesProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Richland ParishRichland ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-24
Sabine ParishSabine ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
St. Bernard ParishSt. Bernard ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
St. Charles ParishSt. Charles ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
St. Helena ParishSt. Helena ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
St. James ParishSt. James ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
St. John The Baptist ParishSt. John the Baptist ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
St. Landry ParishSt. Landry ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
St. Martin ParishSt. Martin ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
St. Mary ParishSt. Mary ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
St. Tammany ParishSt. Tammany ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Tangipahoa Parish SchoolsTangipahoaNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Terrebonne ParishTerrebonne ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Union ParishUnion ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Vermilion ParishVermilion ParishConsent requiredpolicy found & read2026-09-25
Vernon ParishVernon ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-25
Washington ParishWashington ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25
Webster ParishWebster ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
West Baton Rouge ParishWest Baton Rouge ParishAllowspolicy found & read2026-09-25
West Carroll ParishWest Carroll ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
West Feliciana ParishWest Feliciana ParishNo written rulepolicy found & read2026-09-26
Zachary Community School DistrictEast Baton Rouge ParishProhibitspolicy found & read2026-09-25

In the news

Do something

Parents

File the written refusal with your child's school. In this state the school also needs your signed consent before any paddling.

Everyone

Write the board or your legislator with the numbers above. The templates cite only verified facts.

Agents

Every district in this state needs a sourced policy entry. The district scan takes about an hour per 40 districts.