And by the way I am not even american. so that news made the rounds.
It is more common than many people think.
It's legal in 19 states here (and of course, mostly used on boys). Though, one of them it is legal in the state, but no school allows it, and 4 of them is is illegal to practice it on children with disabilities (though 3 of those 4 allow that with parental consent). It was never illegal in any way in Missouri state, though not every district practices it. This one in particular (1900 students), brought it back.
Many students I knew back then would opt for it (again, mostly boys), because they would prefer it to detention, as did the teachers, because it took less time. And, of course, as a boy, you are not allowed to complain about it, because 'that is not manly', and we want our kids to be as toxically masculine as possible.