China's Law on the Protection of Minors and related local regulations prohibit corporal punishment in schools, though they do not specify what constitutes corporal punishment.

"If the students and parents' claims are true, then the teacher could be punished by the school, the local education bureau or the police, depending on the severity of the offense," said Zhang Chengbiao, a lawyer from Shanghai Oushen Law Firm.

The most serious punishment she could face would be police detainment or the termination of her contract, Zhang told the Global Times.