Poll: Should teachers have the right to hit children when they misbehave?

No way -- you take other steps to fix the problem if it's happening. The way that that teacher was abusing that kid was insane; violent, really. If anything, send him to the principal's office or call their parents. I think children are sometimes naive enough to think that laughing at a special needs person is funny. They don't know the gravity of their actions -- parents do.