Students returning to classes this fall in the Ozarks town of Cassville, Missouri, may be on better behavior than usual. That’s because the local school board has reinstated corporal punishment, otherwise known as paddling, for disciplining poor conduct.

The spanking policy isn’t quite like the old days of classroom law and order. Parents and guardians must give signed consent to let their children be subject to a swing of the paddle “when other means of discipline have failed,” including detention and suspension. And they can opt out at any time, no matter what their child has done to warrant a body check.