BUFFALO, N.Y. — Education Secretary John King Jr. is urging governors and school leaders in states that allow student paddling to end a practice he said would be considered “criminal assault or battery” against an adult.

King released a letter today asking leaders to replace corporal punishment with less punitive, more supportive disciplinary practices that he said work better.

More than 110,000 students, including disproportionate numbers of black and disabled students, were subjected to paddling or a similar punishment in the 2013-14 school year, said King, citing the Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection.

Corporal punishment is legal in 22 states.

Coming toward the end of President Barack Obama’s term, the push to end corporal punishment builds on the administration’s “Rethink Discipline” campaign to create safe and supportive school climates, King said.