A. No teacher, principal or other person employed by a school board or employed in a school operated by the Commonwealth shall subject a student to corporal punishment. This prohibition of corporal punishment shall not be deemed to prevent (i) the use of incidental, minor or reasonable physical contact or other actions designed to maintain order and control; (ii) the use of reasonable and necessary force to quell a disturbance or remove a student from the scene of a disturbance which threatens physical injury to persons or damage to property; (iii) the use of reasonable and necessary force to prevent a student from inflicting physical harm on himself; (iv) the use of reasonable and necessary force for self-defense or the defense of others; or (v) the use of reasonable and necessary force to obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects or controlled substances or paraphernalia which are upon the person of the student or within his control.
B. In determining whether a person was acting within the exceptions provided in this section, due deference shall be given to reasonable judgments at the time of the event which were made by a teacher, principal or other person employed by a school board or employed in a school operated by the Commonwealth.
C. For the purposes of this section, "corporal punishment" means the infliction of, or causing the infliction of, physical pain on a student as a means of discipline.
This definition shall not include physical pain, injury or discomfort caused by the use of incidental, minor or reasonable physical contact or other actions designed to maintain order and control as permitted in subdivision (i) of subsection A of this section or the use of reasonable and necessary force as permitted by subdivisions (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of subsection A of this section, or by participation in practice or competition in an interscholastic sport, or participation in physical education or an extracurricular activity.
1989, c. 287; 1995, c. 681.
Structure Code of Virginia
§ 22.1-254.01. Certain students required to attend summer school or after-school sessions
§ 22.1-254.02. Students transferring from a public school
§ 22.1-254.1. Declaration of policy; requirements for home instruction of children
§ 22.1-254.2. Testing for high school equivalency; eligibility; guidelines
§ 22.1-255. Nonresident children
§ 22.1-259. Teachers to keep daily attendance records
§ 22.1-260. Reports of children enrolled and not enrolled; nonattendance
§ 22.1-261. Attendance officer to make list of children not enrolled; duties of attendance officer
§ 22.1-262. Complaint to court when parent fails to comply with law
§ 22.1-263. Violation constitutes misdemeanor
§ 22.1-264. Misdemeanor to make false statements as to age
§ 22.1-265. Inducing children to absent themselves
§ 22.1-266. Law-enforcement officers and truant children
§ 22.1-267. Proceedings against habitually absent child
§ 22.1-269.1. Alternative attendance programs
§ 22.1-270. Preschool physical examinations
§ 22.1-271.2. Immunization requirements
§ 22.1-271.4. Health requirements for home-instructed, exempted, and excused children
§ 22.1-271.5. Guidelines and policies and procedures on concussions in student-athletes
§ 22.1-271.6. School division policies and procedures on concussions in students
§ 22.1-271.7. Public middle school student-athletes; pre-participation physical examination
§ 22.1-271.8. Sudden cardiac arrest prevention in student-athletes
§ 22.1-272. Contagious and infectious diseases
§ 22.1-273. Vision and hearing of student to be tested; exceptions
§ 22.1-273.1. Annual screening for scoliosis
§ 22.1-273.2. Parent educational information regarding eating disorders
§ 22.1-273.3. Parent educational information regarding tobacco and nicotine vapor products
§ 22.1-273.4. Department of Education; guidance and resources; applied behavior analysis services
§ 22.1-274. School health services
§ 22.1-274.02. Certain memorandum of agreement required
§ 22.1-274.1. Criteria to identify toxic art materials; labeling; use in certain grades prohibited
§ 22.1-274.3. Policies regarding medication recommendations by school personnel
§ 22.1-274.4. Automated external defibrillators
§ 22.1-274.5. Topical sunscreen
§ 22.1-274.6. Seizure management and action plan; training
§ 22.1-275. Protective eye devices
§ 22.1-275.1. School health advisory board
§ 22.1-276.2. Removal of students from classes
§ 22.1-276.3. Ineligibility of students to compete in athletic competitions
§ 22.1-277. Suspensions and expulsions of students generally
§ 22.1-277.04. Short-term suspension; procedures; readmission
§ 22.1-277.05. Long-term suspensions; procedures; readmission
§ 22.1-277.06. Expulsions; procedures; readmission
§ 22.1-277.07. Expulsion of students under certain circumstances; exceptions
§ 22.1-277.07:1. Policies prohibiting possession of firearms
§ 22.1-277.08. Expulsion of students for certain drug offenses
§ 22.1-277.2:2. Alternative education program data
§ 22.1-279.1. Corporal punishment prohibited
§ 22.1-279.1:1. The use of seclusion and restraint in public schools; Board of Education regulations
§ 22.1-279.3. Parental responsibility and involvement requirements
§ 22.1-279.3:2. Public elementary and secondary school students; protective orders; notification
§ 22.1-279.3:3. Alternative school discipline process for certain incidents
§ 22.1-279.4. Information regarding prosecution for certain crimes
§ 22.1-279.7. Guidelines for student searches
§ 22.1-279.9. Development of programs to prevent crime and violence
§ 22.1-279.10. School resource officers; data
§ 22.1-280.2:1. Employment of school security officers
§ 22.1-280.2:2. Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013
§ 22.1-280.2:3. School boards; safety and security personnel
§ 22.1-280.2:4. School boards; firearms on school property
§ 22.1-280.4. School board action regarding destruction of property
§ 22.1-287. Limitations on access to records
§ 22.1-287.01. Student information; release to federal government agencies
§ 22.1-287.02. Students' personally identifiable information
§ 22.1-287.03. Unique student identification numbers
§ 22.1-287.04. Uniformed services-connected students
§ 22.1-287.1. Directory information
§ 22.1-288.1. Notation in school records of missing children; local law-enforcement cooperation
§ 22.1-289.01. School service providers; school-affiliated entities; student personal information