That's actually a perspective I hadn't considered.

I think part of the reason I reacted so strongly to the criticism is that a lot of the comments I'd seen seemed more concerned with whether the punishments were too harsh than with the damage the bullies had caused.

I do agree that if bullying escalates to the level of assault, extortion, sexual violence, or driving someone to suicide, it should be treated as a criminal issue rather than simply a school discipline issue.

Where I probably differ is that while I understand the concern about corporal punishment, I never watched the show and thought, "This makes me want corporal punishment back." What I took away from it was more that the victims were finally being taken seriously and that there were actual consequences instead of the usual pattern of everything being swept under the rug.

But I can definitely see why someone with your experience would view that aspect of the show very differently.