U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. created headlines when said in November he was urging all states to stop corporal punishment, which is to say in Georgia, paddling students.

Twenty-two states allow students to be paddled or otherwise physically punished, including Georgia and it's neighbors. Twenty-eight states prohibit it.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has kept up with this education issue in the closing days of 2017. You can read more about it in the links below.

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Sheree Smith (left) casts her ballot at Wolf Creek Library in Atlanta on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. In addition to municipal races for mayors, city councils and school board members, this year’s election also will decide the members of the Georgia Public Service Commission. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC