Politics Hugging Ban Sparks Dispute at Ore. School

Alias_Gay

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Hugging Ban Sparks Dispute at Ore. School
Sun May 15, 9:03 PM ET

BEND, Ore. - Public displays of affection are against the rules at Sky View Middle School in Bend, and 14-year-old Cazz Altomare found that out the hard way.

She got detention earlier this year after hugging her boyfriend in the hallway as he headed to lunch and she went to gym class.

Her mother, Leslee Swanson was infuriated by the punishment — in fact, when she went to pick her daughter up from detention, she gave her a good, hard hug.

"I'm trying to understand what's wrong with a hug," said Swanson, 42.

But administrators said such policies are standard-issue at middle schools across the country.

"Really, all we're trying to do is create an environment that's focused on learning, and learning proper manners is part of that," said Dave Haack, the principal of Cascade Middle School, also in Bend. "This is not us being the romance police."

Students only end up with detention after repeated warnings, he said.

Outside Pilot Butte Middle School on a recent lunch break, two seventh-grade girls said they disagreed with the school's policies.

"I think we should be able to hold hands or hug at least," Annie Wilson, 12, told The Bulletin in Bend. "Because it's not doing anything bad."

Others are more in favor of the rule, like Christina Barackman, 13, also a Pilot Butte seventh-grader.

"I think they're nice to keep boundaries for kids," she said.

Schools need to define and actively teach what they do want to see in student behavior, said Rob Horner, a University of Oregon professor who works with schools across the nation on "building social culture that supports effective learning."

"To say 'no hugging' really blows it," Horner said. "That's exactly the sort of trap that, as soon as you say that, what is the first thing everyone is going to want to do?"

At home after school on a recent afternoon, Cazz, the Sky View student, described the no-hug rule as "dumb."

"Hugging is like a sign of affection," she said.

Her mother has told her that if she likes Sky View and wants to stay at the school, she'll have to abide by the rules.

But Swanson, the mother, said she wonders if a hugging ban would fly in a more metropolitan place.

For her, this is a politically charged issue.

"The more people blindly accept these fundamental rights being taken away from them, the easier it becomes for them to be taken away," Swanson said.

You gotta be kidding me ... :o_O:
 
My junior high and high school had rules against PDA. In my high school you can get suspended :lol: Seriously, the rules were never enforced. I can't help but laugh when I imagine a boy telling his mom why he's suspended from school. Or a kid in detention.

"What are you in for?"

"Fighting."

"Mouthing off to a teacher"

"Making out w/ my boyfriend/ girlfriend and I'd do it again!" :lol: :lol:

I don't mind PDA as long as it is sweet and not gross and inappropriate. Please boys, stop resting your hand on or grabbing your girlfriend's butt, save that behavoir for behind the bleechers. :lol: To all you couples out there, please refrain from having a heavy makeout session during lunch or class. I know you're in love but it's gross to see people almost eat others faces! This happened during lunch one time and my friend screamed at the couple to stop it and threw a meatball at their heads! They didn't even notice and continued making out.
 
Haha, that's hilarious!

We had a similar rule at our school, no like touching or higging or kissing or anything inappropriate! There was like a 30 centimeter rule between guys and girls, no one ever adhered to the rules, they were seen more of a joke, but still, it was a rule! What is the world coming to? It's ridiculous!
 
I'm not surprised at all. My high school had the same thing. Now you saw some PDA all the time (alright, lots and it was gross). But every now and then they would call you down for hugging...ridiculous.
 
This is so ridiculous. Why don't they focus on something that's actually useful, like learning, getting new books, hiring teachers who are not freaking retards. No hugging. It makes me so mad when people focus on the ridiculously trivial things. Just because the old farts that run the school no longer have any affection left in their miserable shell of an existence, doesn't mean they should try to restrict such pleasures for others. What they should teach is appropriate public display of affection, instead of banning it outright. It's just like the school system to issue a blanket policy that's like a blunt sword that cuts across everything, even perfectly reasonable use cases.

The next thing you know, all the kids at the school will be wearing these proximity wrist bands that go off and issues an electrical shock to people who are within 30 inches of another perosn of the opposite sex, or whatever that limit is. It'll be like the inverse of the electric dog collar. And of course each such device will also have a RFID tracking signal on there, so the teachers can actively monitor the location of each student. Furthermore, we can put a miniature microphone in the wrist bands so that all conversations could be recorded and analyzed be mini-echlon. And of course to make all of this seem OK, they'll provide some remedial services through the wrist bands in the form of cashless lunch lines and vending machines. Just wave your wristband at the lunch counter, or at the vending machine and you can get whatever you want. The cost will be charged to your student account. but all in all, it's just a tracking device. What's this world coming to.

Ok, I"m gonna stop talking now. This is making me way too mad.
 
actually, my high school had a 'no hugging' policy
really it was a 'no touching other people' policy
like you could hug but the hug could last no longer than like 3 seconds
and fyi - i went to public school
 
I'm not surprised. There's a rule at my school about PDA. They take it deadly serious. If you hug, kiss, etc you get sent to the Principal's Office

It's so dumb -.-
 
Wow. How sad.

My school, being Christian, has these "No PDA" rules as well, and I for one think they're ridiculous. I mean, sure, no kissing in the hallways is something I can understand. But to get detention--or any form of punishment--for hugging? That's just stupid. Several months ago, two girls at my school got detention for walking down the hall with their arms linked, and they were called out for PDA. I would be personally offended by such an accusation. Who's to say I can't link arms with my friends? Especially my friends of the same sex. I think schools and teachers are starting to overreact about this kind of thing. Pretty soon, smiling at a person of the opposite sex (or the same sex, for that matter) will be considered a public display of affection. People. Geeze.
 
AliasHombre said:
Yeah...umm...there aren't any rules about that at my school.  There isn't even a dress code.
[post="1343089"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​

WTF? What kind of school do you go to?
 
AliasHombre said:
Yeah...umm...there aren't any rules about that at my school.  There isn't even a dress code.
[post="1343089"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​


You're lucky...we had a strict dress code. Especially about shorts...geez they wouldn't let you get away with anything. College is a welcomed change. Even though wearing bikini tops to class (as some girls did when it was warm) was a little extreme :rolleyes:
 
Jamison said:
You're lucky...we had a strict dress code.  Especially about shorts...geez they wouldn't let you get away with anything.  College is a welcomed change.  Even though wearing bikini tops to class (as some girls did when it was warm) was a little extreme :rolleyes:
[post="1343139"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​
Yeah, we even have the annual gender swap day.
 
We used to have that at my high school but during my senior year it was replaced by costume so everyone went wild :lol: One girl dressed up as a naughty nun and some other girl was a pregnant one! There were also naughty catholic school girls and a couple of satans.
 
AliasHombre said:
Yeah...umm...there aren't any rules about that at my school.  There isn't even a dress code.
[post="1343089"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​
haha.. at my school there arent many rules either, at least no one follows them
 
aliasjunkie4ever said:
Wow. How sad.

My school, being Christian, has these "No PDA" rules as well, and I for one think they're ridiculous. I mean, sure, no kissing in the hallways is something I can understand. But to get detention--or any form of punishment--for hugging? That's just stupid. Several months ago, two girls at my school got detention for walking down the hall with their arms linked, and they were called out for PDA. I would be personally offended by such an accusation. Who's to say I can't link arms with my friends? Especially my friends of the same sex. I think schools and teachers are starting to overreact about this kind of thing. Pretty soon, smiling at a person of the opposite sex (or the same sex, for that matter) will be considered a public display of affection. People. Geeze.
[post="1343041"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​

Yeah, good point. Before you know it, everyone will be wearing white hoods with eye holes in them just so that they wouldn't be accused of smiling or, displaying any other form of overt emotions. Ohh wait..or did someone already take that idea?
 
Honestly, PDA at schools really bothers me. Hugging, whatever, but making out in the hallways disgusts me. Take it somewhere else, please. Especially when you're doing it right infront of my locker, and I have to get close to you and see your tongues sloshing around. Rarely do you see adults doing that in public, they take it inside or in their cars, or wherever, but they don't make a voyeristic display of it. Teenagers need to learn how to control themselves and school enforcement is a good place to start. I wish my school had stricter policies, because it really is a disturbance, not to mention it's impolite, and it's immature.
 
Yeah, PDA is a biiig thing at my school. I mean...hugging your bf/gf or putting your arm around her or something...I think that's...okay in my school. But kissing is definitely out. I think you could definitely get dentention or suspension for that. To some extent, I agree...it puts up a boundary for kids.
 
hey people
i went to high school in the '70's
short of taking your clothes off
and having sex in the hallway
everything was cool
and that's fine with me...
the hugging police sounds a bit bizarre...
 
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