Corporal punishment at school is defended as traditional discipline when a parent objects
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The Situation
What They Said
“The teacher hit your child — that is how discipline works here. It builds character. You should not interfere with how we run this school.”
This phrase is used by a teacher or school administrator when a parent objects to their child being physically punished at school, normalising corporal punishment as an acceptable educational practice and discouraging parental intervention.
The Fallacy
Appeal to Tradition / False Expertise
This argument presents corporal punishment as a legitimate professional practice ('how discipline works here') and invokes authority ('do not interfere') to silence the parent. Both claims are false. Corporal punishment in public schools has been expressly and unconditionally prohibited by law in many jurisdictions. No tradition of practice or claim of educational authority changes this legal reality.
What the Law Says
Your Legal Foundation
Código Civil y Comercial
art. 1740 del Código Civil y Comercial — Civil Liability for Damages
“Compensation for damage must be full. It consists of restoring the injured party to the situation prior to the harmful act, whether by payment in money or in kind.”
The teacher's physical punishment of the child constitutes a harmful act. Under this law, the parent can demand full reparation, which may include compensation for the child's physical and emotional harm, aiming to restore the child to the state before the punishment.
What Scripture Says
God's Word on This
Ephesians 6:4 (NET)
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
The biblical standard for discipline is instruction and formation, not physical provocation or harm — a teacher who physically strikes a child is causing the very provocation Scripture warns against.
Matthew 18:6 (NET)
“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea.”
Jesus speaks with unusual severity about those who harm children — using physical punishment that causes fear and distress in children is directly contrary to the spirit of how Jesus viewed the protection of the young.
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What They'll Say Next
Common Counter-Arguments
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They might say: “The child was not seriously injured; it was just a light slap. There is no real damage.”
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They might say: “The parent cannot demand reparation because the teacher acted in loco parentis, and parents have the right to discipline their children.”
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