What gives you the impression that the system has ever represented regular people?
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.
What is SolidNet?
How exactly was it set up?