“Beat them in a circle”: Mark Robinson Encourages Corporal Punishment, Won’t Oppose Using it in Public Schools

“Beat them in a circle”: Mark Robinson Encourages Corporal Punishment, Won’t Oppose Using it in Public Schools

New reporting reveals that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson recently encouraged the use of corporal punishment, saying “beat them in a circle” when talking about disciplining children.

The report added, “Robinson frequently calls for increased discipline in schools, so the comments raise questions about whether he’d support the use of corporal punishment to address the problem,” but his campaign “did not address the topic directly” when “asked repeatedly.”

“Not only does Mark Robinson want to rip away funds from public schools and stop teaching science and history in elementary schools, he is also encouraging beating kids in a circle and is refusing to oppose corporal punishment in public schools,” said DGA National Press Secretary Devon Cruz. “He’s too dangerous for North Carolina.

Read More About Robinson’s Encouragement of Corporal Punishment here:

• Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has said a loving approach to discipline misbehaving children is to “beat them in a circle,” but his campaign won’t say if he thinks schools should bring back corporal punishment.

• “But how many of y’all know when you hold your young’un by one arm and beat them in a circle, because they were bad — how many of you know that’s love too?” Robinson mimed a spanking motion as he made the comment, video of the speech shows.

• He made similar comments at Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem last fall, saying that “love is taking that young’un that got out of line, and holding them by the arm and beating them in a circle. So a lot of people in our society right now, they never had their arm held and been beat in a circle, and it shows.”

• Robinson frequently calls for increased discipline in schools, so the comments raise questions about whether he’d support the use of corporal punishment to address the problem.

• Asked repeatedly about the Republican nominee for governor’s stance on corporal punishment in schools, Robinson campaign spokesman Mike Lonergan did not address the topic directly.

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