<P> In the English - speaking world, the use by schools of corporal punishment has historically been justified by the common - law doctrine in loco parentis, whereby teachers are considered authority figures granted the same rights as parents to punish children in their care . </P> <P> Advocates of school corporal punishment argue that it provides an immediate response to indiscipline and that the student is quickly back in the classroom learning, as opposed to suspension from school . Opponents, including a number of medical and psychological societies, along with human - rights groups, argue that physical punishment is ineffective in the long term, interferes with learning, leads to antisocial behavior as well as various forms of mental distress, disproportionately affects students of color, and is a form of violence that breaches the rights of children . </P> <P> Poland was the first nation to outlaw corporal punishment in schools in 1783 . School corporal punishment is no longer practised in any European country . As of 2016, an estimated 128 countries have prohibited corporal punishment in schools, including all of Europe, and most of South America and East Asia . Approximately 69 countries still allow for corporal punishment in schools, including parts of the United States, some Australian states, and a number of countries in Africa and Asia . </P> <P> Corporal punishment in the context of schools in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has been variously defined as: causing deliberate pain to a child in response to the child's undesired behavior and / or language, "purposeful infliction of bodily pain or discomfort by an official in the educational system upon a student as a penalty for unacceptable behavior", and "intentional application of physical pain as a means of changing behavior" (not the occasional use of physical restraint to protect student or others from immediate harm). </P>

When did it become illegal for teachers to hit students
find me the text answering this question