I thought I’d heard it all! Silly me! From Mascoutah, Illinois comes a news report that a 13-year old middle-schooler had to serve two days of detention. Why? Did she swear? Start a fight? Skip school? Talk back to a teacher? No – she put her arm around the shoulder of two friends and slightly squeezed them. In other words, she gave them a little hug to ‘say goodbye for the weekend.” For that she got detention. Mom and Dad didn’t like it but the only alternative was suspension – that’s right, suspension! According to the school student handbook, “Displays of affection should not occur on the school campus at any time. It is in poor taste, reflects poor judgment, and brings discredit to the school and to the persons involved.” So a friendly little hug is now a PDA? Hmm…And PDA’s (public displays of affection) are a bad thing. Hmm…
So let me get this right. In some schools kids can get birth control without parental consent, in some states children can get an abortion without parental consent, and that’s all OK. But to hug a friend discredits the school. I wonder – what if the school, or a student in the school, suffered a tragedy, such as death in the family. Just how will they show comfort without a little PDA? And what if, as the basketball player trots off the court after a scintillating performance the coach pats him or her on the butt and says, “Great job!” Will coach be in detention the next day? He/she better be – that is after all a PDA, is it not? And what about the girls volleyball team – after each point they hug and high-five. I guess they’re in detention too.
I guess I’m just old fashioned, but give me a break! Recall the school board and let’s get real! And if the recall is successful…better not hug the board members as they leave their last meeting! Of course, if you did, you could write a new student handbook during your time in detention!