A continuing dichotomy in public opinion concerning the use of corporal punishment in Canadian schools provided the impetus for this paper, which includes a review of the relevant literature. Morality issues surrounding corporal punishment are discussed and public opinion data are exerpted from the Provincial Review of School Disciplinary Policy and Practices, in which parents, teachers, and students were surveyed regarding their attitudes and opinions concerning disciplinary practice. The results indicate that the use of corporal punishment has led to a high probability of adverse effects on students, and involves serious legal, ethical, and moral questions. The first of three appendices presents a precis of local newspaper coverage on corporal punishment policy formation in which public opposition resulted in the rejection of corporal punishment in those districts. The second appendix summarizes the Rutter report on the effect of secondary schools on student attitudes. The final appendix presents exerpts from Derek Wright's "Psychology of Moral Behavior" in which student/staff relations are examined on the basis of their impact on the moral development of students. (JEH)