As one of 20 states that still allow corporal punishment in schools, more than 49,000 Texas students received licks during the 2006-2007 school year, putting Texas at the top of the list, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Writes the Star-Telegram: the punishment continues to be a controversial and confusing subject, partly because school districts make their own policies and the line between discipline and abuse can be blurred.

HB359 allows parents to have some control over whether their children are paddled. The new law allows parents to forbid school districts from using corporal punishment on their children.

“This is a small victory in the war to prevent child abuse,” says Jeff Rasansky, whose clients at the Rasansky Law Firm include families whose children who have suffered abuse from caregivers at daycare centers. “Many people are still surprised to learn that children are abused physically, emotionally or sexually by daycare or other child care providers like nannies, babysitters, family members or teachers.”