I got beat with a 2x4 at one of the schools I went to. They carved a handle out of one end and used it as a "paddle" kind of thing. Some schools do even worse, though. Canes, switches, and "belts"(in quotation marks because it's often just a strap of leather, sometimes split at the end) can break skin.
This largely went away in public schools, but never did in private schools. Many children get sent to private schools just for the corporal punishment. Sometimes, they offer "scholarships" just for those kids if the family can't afford tuition.
Spanking kids at school is a great way to teach them pretending to understand what you want them to learn, and covering up their mistakes instead of confronting them. It will lead to a society that is to an even greater degree based on fear, deceit, and incompetence.