Illinois
‘Hitting kids should never be allowed’: Illinois bans corporal punishment in all schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — This school year, Illinois will become just the fifth state in the nation to prohibit corporal punishment in all schools.
Legislation that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law this month bans physical punishment in private schools while reiterating a prohibition on the practice in public schools implemented 30 years ago.
When the ban takes effect in January, Illinois will join New Jersey, Iowa, Maryland and New York in prohibiting paddling, spanking or hitting in every school.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, a Chicago Democrat, was inspired to take up the issue after an updated call by the American Association of Pediatrics to end the practice, which it says can increase behavioral or mental health problems and impair cognitive development. The association found that it’s disproportionately administered to Black males and students with disabilities.
“It was an easy thing to do. I don’t want a child, whether they are in private school or public school, to have a situation in which corporal punishment is being used,” Croke said.
Croke was also disturbed by the Cassville School District in southwest Missouri. After dropping corporal punishment in 2001, it reinstated it two years ago as an opt-in for parents. Croke wanted to send a clear message that “it never was going to be OK to inflict harm or pain on a child.”
Much of the world agrees.
The World Health Organization has decreed the practice “a violation of children’s rights to respect for physical integrity and human dignity.” In 1990, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child established an obligation to “prohibit all corporal punishment of children.”
The U.S. was the convention’s lone holdout. Americans seemingly take a pragmatic view of the practice, said Sarah A. Font, associate professor of sociology and public policy at Penn State University.
“Even though research pretty consistently shows that corporal punishment doesn’t improve kids’ behavior in the long run — and it might have some negative consequences — people don’t want to believe that,” Font said. “People kind of rely on their own experience of, ‘Well, I experienced corporal punishment. I turned out fine.’ They disregard the larger body of evidence.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, last year introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, to ban corporal punishment in any school receiving federal funds. It was assigned to a Senate committee for a public hearing in May 2023 but has seen no further action.
The U.S. Supreme Court has also rejected constitutional claims against the practice. When junior high pupils in Dade County, Florida, filed a lawsuit challenging physical discipline, the court ruled in 1977 that Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment was reserved for people convicted of crimes; it did not apply to classroom discipline.
Today, 17 states technically allow corporal punishment in all schools, although four prohibit its use on students with disabilities. North Carolina state law doesn’t preclude it but every school district in the state blocked its use in 2018. Illinois lawmakers in 1994 stopped the practice in public schools.
Among states that have completely outlawed it, New Jersey took the unusual step of barring corporal punishment in all schools in 1867. Iowa eliminated it in private schools in 1989. Maryland and New York stopped private school use in 2023.
Private school advocates, who vehemently oppose state intervention, did not oppose the new law.
Schools in the Catholic Conference of Illinois do not use corporal punishment, executive director Bob Gilligan said.
“It’s an anachronistic practice,” he said.
Ralph Rivera, who represents the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools, said he’s unaware of any member school that uses the practice. While the group usually opposes state meddling in its classrooms, Rivera said, objecting to a corporal punishment ban on principle is a tough sell.
“Even if they don’t do it, they told us to stay out of it, because it doesn’t look good when you say, ‘No, we want to be able to spank children,’” Rivera said.
The law does not apply to home schools. Home-schooled students are subject to the same rules during school hours as those they face after school.
For student athletes, discipline or correction on the football field or the volleyball court would have to go beyond the pale to qualify as corporal punishment, Croke explained during floor debate on the measure last spring.
“We talked in committee about a situation in which maybe a coach said, ‘Run laps,’” Croke said. “I do not believe this would apply by any means because when we tell a kid to run laps, the goal is not necessarily to inflict pain.”
Legislative debate, nonetheless, included Republican concern that imposing the requirement on private schools could facilitate rules affecting, for instance, curriculum or religious teachings.
Croke, whose school-age child attends Catholic school, said her intent was not to open the door to state regulation of private education but rather to “keep kids out of harm’s way.”
“There’s a red line there, that hitting kids should never be allowed,” Croke said.
The drought is over! We repeat, the drought is over! Montana State has won the FCS Championship for the first time since 1984, breaking a 41-year drought.
The Bobcats won the 2025-26 FCS Championship with a 35-34 win over Illinois State in overtime, holding off the Redbirds in the an overtime classic.
After Illinois State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, the Redbirds had a shot at a game-winning field goal with just over one minute to play. That’s when the kick was blocked! The game proceeded to overtime.
MADNESS IN NASHVILLE, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! 🫨
The field goal kick gets blocked by @MSUBobcats_FB, scooped up, and returned back to the 45-yard line of Illinois State. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/apXWzNehjH
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
In overtime, Illinois State got the ball first and scored a touchdown to take the lead. That’s when the extra-point try was blocked as special teams miscues proved costly for Illinois State.
REDBIRDS STRIKE FIRST IN OVERTIME ⚡️
Dylan Lord scores his second touchdown of the game to give @RedbirdFB the lead. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/cE9621nX2Y
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
However, Montana State still had to respond with a touchdown of their own. Facing 4th-and-10, quarterback Justin Lamson hit wide receiver Taco Dowler for the game-tying score. To win the game, Colby Frokjer knocked in the game-winning PAT.
TACO DOWLER TOUCHDOWN 🚨🚨🚨
Lamson connects with Dowler in the end zone for an overtime @MSUBobcats_FB touchdown. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/gBdNnha0PR
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
The game-winning touchdown earned Lamson Most Outstanding Player honors. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 30 yards and two scores.
“There’s not many moments that are gonna be better than this.”@MSUBobcats_FB’s @justin_lamson10 reflects on bringing back the first title in 41 years back to Bozeman with @stan_becton 🏆 #FCSChampionship pic.twitter.com/2UQuvtKXO2
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
It’s the first championship of the Brent Vigen era in Bozeman as the head coach lifts the trophy for the first in his third championship game appearance. The win is also the Big Sky’s first over the MVFC in a championship game, bringing the all time record to 4-1.
Full finish: CHAOTIC Q4 ending, FIRST-EVER FCS title game overtime
What to Know
- -Children between the ages of 5-17 are seeing the highest impact in the surge in cases in Illinois
- -COVID cases are also on the rise, with “moderate” levels reported by the CDC
- -Illinois health officials say just 22% of the state’s residents have received flu immunizations, while 6.8% have received COVID vaccine boosters
Hospital admissions and positive tests for influenza are soaring in Illinois, prompting warnings and concerns from health officials.
According to an update Monday from the Illinois Department of Public Health, flu activity in the state has climbed to “very high” levels in recent days, the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness activity used by the CDC.
Data available via the IDPH’s Seasonal Respiratory Illness Dashboard shows that more than 19% of emergency room visits in Illinois during the last reporting period were due to acute respiratory illness, with more than 18% of hospital admissions attributed to those illnesses.
Acute respiratory illnesses include the flu as well as COVID-19 and RSV, according to officials.
COVID-19 rates are also on the rise, increasing to “moderate” levels in the state according to the CDC.
The CDC uses wastewater monitoring to help detect viruses infecting people in a community, according to its website.
The bulk of hospital admissions and ER visits associated with respiratory illnesses were made because of flu symptoms, according to officials.
Health officials in Illinois are warning of a new and unexpected mutation that could make for a “more serious flu season.” Natalie Martinez has more.
Data shows that the spike in illnesses is having a serious impact on those residents under the age of 18. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are most impacted by hospital admissions related to acute respiratory illnesses and the flu, while residents over the age of 65 are most impacted by COVID-19.
In the press release, Illinois also reported its first influenza death in a child this season.
“Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” Dr. Sameer Vohra, IDPH director, said. “Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness from flu, COVID-19 and RSV.”
That push for vaccinations comes as approximately 22% of state residents have received flu shots, according to Illinois health officials. Even though flu season peaks in January and February, officials caution that it can last into May, making vaccination a smart strategy in containing spread of the illness.
In addition to vaccines, washing hands frequently is critical to preventing spread of the illness, as is covering coughs and sneezes, and wearing a mask when ill.
Antiviral treatments can also minimize symptoms and speed up recovery, but must be sought in the early stages of the illness to be effective, officials warn.
More information can be found on IDPH’s website.
ECU Pirates quarterback Katin Houser has committed to transfer to the Illinois Fighting Illini per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He previously played for the Michigan State Spartans.
Katin Houser played his high school football at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022. Houser had been the 210th-ranked player nationally and the 13th-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. He’d initially attend Michigan State, choosing the Spartans over several Power Four options.
In 2022, Houser’s first year with Michigan State, he would appear in two games and utilize his redshirt. That’s before he played in 11 games during the 2023 season, before transferring out alongside a coaching change at Michigan State. In the end, he landed at ECU.
Houser has spent the last two seasons at ECU. While there, he would play in 21 games over two seasons. In both of those years, Houser would help lead the Pirates to bowl wins. It was the first back-to-back bowl wins for the program since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Individually, Houser has found plenty of success too. In 2025 alone, Houser completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns. That was against six interceptions. He also rushed for 181 yards and another nine touchdowns.
For his career, Katin Houser has played in 34 total games. He has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns. That’s against 22 interceptions. He also has 352 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns for his career.
Illinois is coming off two excellent seasons under Bret Bielema, when the Illini were quarterbacked by Luke Altmyer. During that time, Illinois went 19-7 with two bowl wins. For Illinois, it was the program’s first back-to-back bowl wins since 2010 and 2011. 19 wins was also their most wins in program history over a two-season stretch. Now, however, Altmyer is out of eligibility, meaning Bielema needs to find the quarterback of the future.
This offseason will see Illinois overhaul its roster. The Fighting Illini have already had 25 transfers. That includes quarterback Trey Petty. Along with Katin Houser, Illinois has also added transfer quarterback Maurice Smith from the portal. He’s coming from Division II Chowan University. So, it’s safe to say that Illinois isn’t done with its Transfer Portal additions just yet.
One interesting note in the upcoming 2026 schedule. Illinois is set to play at Michigan State, which will act as a kind of homecoming game for Katin Houser. The date and time for that game aren’t set yet.
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