1977-+Ingraham+v.+Wright


 * __Summary__** -

James Ingraham was asked to get off the stage at the school auditorium by a teacher and didn’t promptly follow directions. He was then taken to the principal office. He was asked to bend over the table to receive punishment. He refused. The assistant principals both held down his arms after he was forced face-down onto the table. The principal proceeded to spank him with a spanking paddle more than 20 times. The spanking caused him to have a hematoma and he needed medical attention. The parents sued saying that the spanking was cruel and unusual punishment. They also stated that the punishment was loss of liberty. They lost the case. The Supreme Court said that this case didn’t violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment. They also state that due process of the Fourteenth Amendment does not require notification of charges and a formal hearing prior to the infliction of corporal punishment.

**__Impact on Education__** -

The Eight Amendment does not apply to student discipline in the school. The rights of individual students and the need of school officials to maintain order in the school is a difficult balance for Courts to find.

[|Infoplease]

[|Wikipedia]

[|Inequality for Education]

[|Upfront]