In Wyoming, teachers and school administrators who spank or paddle a child are granted legal immunity from any lawsuits or criminal charges they would otherwise face. That will continue to be the case now that Senate File 47 is dead.
The bill would have done away with the legal immunity — but that bill died Tues. Feb. 14, on its first reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill had been soaring through legislative hurdles this session. It passed a Senate committee with a unanimous vote, passed with an overwhelming majority on the Senate floor, and scored another unanimous vote in the House Education committee earlier this week.
But then 47 of the House's 62 representatives voted to crush the bill, ending its path through the legislature. Rep. Barry Crago (R-Buffalo) said he was worried the bill could prohibit teachers from breaking up fights. In earlier committee meetings, supporters had said the bill would only impact disciplinary action, not breaking up fights.
The bill had been shepherded by Tongue River Middle School Principal Jeff Jones, who wrote his 2021 doctoral dissertation on the topic of corporal discipline in Wyoming schools.
According to Jones, there are only three school districts in the state that still allow the practice in their district policies.
