jsisser posted on May 18, 2010 15:28
If the self-titled “Freedom Huggers” brought anything to light, it is the high school’s policy on public displays of affection (PDA) needs serious revisions to make it clearer.
After wearing signs and T-shirts expressing their disapproval of the policy, several protestors met with members of Student
Council to discuss their issues with the rule.
The current PDA policy prohibits any bodily contact beyond holding hands while on school premises. The disclaimer for the Code of Conduct also states that this applies to all school functions.
However, “Freedom Huggers” brought up a valid point—does this include all off-campus sporting events? And what about Prom? Certainly there is bodily contact occurring there.
This may be why the school board is considering revising the policy at the May 24 meeting to ban “inappropriate bodily contact” on school premises.
But this new wording still does not address the issue of whether this policy applies to all school functions on or off campus.
If administrators want to ensure their policy is enforced, they need to be as clear as possible. This includes outlining specific school events, like Prom or football games, and how the policy will be enforced.
The policy should go further and outline what specifically is considered “inappropriate”.
By keeping the wording so vague, administrators are setting themselves up for disagreements over the policy. What may be considered “inappropriate” to an administrator may not be to a student.
The bottom line is, the new policy is still unclear. In order to avoid more protests, the school board should send the latest draft back and demand a clearer version.