Decades ago, it was a pretty common practice for teachers to discipline students by paddling them. In fact, your parents probably remember being on the receiving end of a wooden paddle a few times for misbehaving in school. While it's much less prevalent nowadays in the U.S., 22 states still actually allow it "” and one school district in Texas just voted to bring it back.

Officials with the Three Rivers Independent School District (ISD) have approved a plan to reinstate corporal punishment. The Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA) defines corporal punishment as "deliberate infliction of physical pain by hitting, paddling, spanking, slapping, or any other physical force used as a means of discipline."

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For minor infractions such as breaking classroom rules, students will be subjected to one paddling "” but only if their parents provide written and verbal approval first. If they aren't on board, they won't have to worry about it.

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Corporal punishment has been a hotly-debated topic for years, with some saying it really works and others insisting there are better forms of punishment. Let's take a look at what some people had to say about the ruling on social media:

"If parents would teach their children how to act right, they wouldn't have to worry about they're [sic] kid getting paddled at school. I say if you don't want someone to teach your kids respect, DO IT YOURSELF!" one person wrote.

Another said, "Do a little research on kids who were spanked and see that they are much more likely to end up in prison than kids who were disciplined with other methods. Paddling has no place in any school or home."

"If anyone ever touched my kid, I would beat them senseless. Nope, no way. I would pay for private school," another commenter wrote.

What's your opinion on this ruling? Do you think schools should allow paddling, or it an unnecessary practice that needs to die?

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