Middle-School Girl Gets Detention For Hugging At School

[ZWarrior]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/education/4492319/detail.html

I understand the desire to control PDA in schools, and I don't agree with 11, 12, 13, 14 year olds dating, but c'mon...  detention or suspensions for HUGGING?!?!?!

I don't have kids, but I know many of you do.  What's your take?

[snauzberries]

heck.....ive been yelled at for huggin my freind jerry...

these high schools are idiotic

[Mr_Anderson]

I'm surprised that they don't give you detention for just being you Snauz!

[Zeet]

I think the rule probably had a good intention, but these administrators are the same people that wonder "why wasn't anyone close to that kid" when kids go off the deep end.
The thing is, kids have a natural ability to care and LOVE, God made us that way. But it is up to parents to teach the kids the boundries. Some Hugs are very exceptable and make people feel cared for, but the ones with the grouping are not.  I know that when my daughter hugs someone at school it is probably because she is encouraging them, she has a huge caring heart.

The biggest problem with issues like this is that school's have taking the approach of No Common sense instead of no tolerance! They don't have the gut's to say that is one is an acceptable hug and others aren't.  It boils down to the few bad apples are spoiling the bunch by making the school creating rules that keep kids from caring for others, bringing there own plastic sissors, or give a friend asprin for a headache.  Me personally, I want my kids to care for friends!

I will now step off my soapbox. (too bad I felt so tall!)

[Mr_Anderson]

Not taller than me though!

[JollyRoger]

I'd have to agree with Zeet. I like the No common sense, that made me chuckle. I remeber being in school I had few friends and never gave or recieved hugs at school but hey thats ok with me. Any ways I remebers seeing plenty of hugging. Some of it was very graphic, Clothing was on but you know what i am getting at. That is the type of hugging that should be dicouraged in school. some of the hugging was just hugging like to guys walking up shaking hand and giving the one hand 2 pat hug or two girls hugging all very binine (I spelled it wrong). That type of hugging I see as just fine and shouldn't be discourages.

[ZWarrior]

( I will let the spelling go )  the problem is that you can't exactly write a rule that differentiates between the amourous hug and the friendly hug.  So they have taken a broad brush and said "No hug".  Ah, our litiguous society...  what a pain in my patoot.

[Mr_Anderson]

Sometimes people just cannot tell the difference from a friendly hug to something else.

[Morpheus]

Well, since none of us were there, it's hard to say what kind of hug it was.  It was given to her boyfriend, and if thngs have not changed a lot since I was in HS, that very likely meant a hip grinding sexually charged hug.  I've been in schools where attrocious things were done in the halls.  Administration has to do what they feel is right.  Of course if you don't like it....you can always home school or go to a private school.

nuff said!

[ZWarrior]

I agree Morpheus.  Like I said, it is near impossible to write a rule that will cover one, but not the other.  Ultimately, they can either take the responsibility of teaching their kids what's right, or moving them to another school.

It is for this reason that I am a big proponent of the school voucher system.  I would rather say where my tax money will be spent.  Do I want to support public schools?  Maybe.

But what about asking me where I want that money to be spent?  Give me the option to spend my money on another school that I like.  Maybe I want to spend that money on home schooling my kids or another person's kids.

This country is founded on Capitalism.  So let the money decided the quality of the school.  I bet if the public schools didn't have the guaranteed cash, they would get rid of the "fat" and do a better job of focussing the funds on teaching our kids.

I think you do a great job Morph with your kids, and you don't have the same the budget that OPS has.  Heck, your kids are better behaved, and much more talented for it!