Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, held an interim study Monday, Oct. 21, to discuss the effectiveness of properly administered corporal punishment. 

Olsen stated that he does not intend to run any particular bill related to this issue. 

"I have no intention to require parents to do this, or even for schools to be required to implement corporal punishment," he said. "What I do object to is the desire of some people to totally prohibit it for all schools and in all situations, no matter how extreme." 

Olsen also said the "so-called science" attempting to condemn corporal punishment is very weak. 

"There seem to be significant problems with the methodology of studies that advocate for total prohibition of corporal punishment," Olsen said. "They do not control for the variables. They confuse correlation with causality. They don't separate outliers of extreme abuse that don't even come close to properly administered corporal punishment. They often don't compare spanking with other disciplinary measures. So, generally speaking, much of the science is questionable at best." 

Olsen also responded to people who attempt to affirm that corporal punishment is condemned by the Bible. 

"We can't play fast and loose with the clear text of the Bible," Olsen said, adding, "Read Proverbs 19:18. Read Hebrews 12:11. The words of the King James Bible are very clear. If we will honor the clear statements that God tells us in the Bible, things will go better for us." 

He reiterated his intention for holding Monday's interim study. 

"I have no intention of trying to require parents or schools to use corporal punishment. That is their decision. What I absolutely oppose is all of us caving in to ill-informed zealots that want to prevent all schools everywhere from ever using any corporal punishment. It has worked well for generations, and centuries, and it still needs to be an option today."