Prom Rules Problematic?

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School District enacted a new policy relating to how and how close students can dance together at school events that has caused some tension between students and staff, and even between parents with different opinions, in the community.

Secondary Principal Stephanie Wooderchak said last fall some parents of students at the high school and the middle school were complaining about the style of dancing taking place at school functions after hours. The dances had occurred in the fall and some parents said they had found the dance styles "upsetting," Wooderchak said.

After the complaints came in to the district, Wooderchak said a committee of staff members drafted a new dance policy and then had it approved by the entire staff.

The policy is as follows:

"Student Behavior at Dances and on the Dance floor:

*Students and their guests must engage in acceptable and appropriate behavior for a high school dance.

*Whether the students are in a line or with another person, there should be no sexually suggestive dancing. Sexually suggestive dancing includes, but is not limited to:

Front to back touching/ grinding, bumping, straddling legs

*No "making out" (overt and/or prolonged public displays of affection).

*Consequences: Student will be warned one time only. If the same student is again observed engaging in inappropriate behavior or sexually suggestive dancing, the student will be sent home. The school representatives (chaperones, advisers) reserve the right to determine the appropriateness of any attendee's form of dance."

The new policy is dated Feb. 28, 2012. Right before prom on April 28, the community began buzzing about the new rules. Waitsburg teens were overheard complaining about the new dance rules at a WP sports event.

"What people are upset about is a list of rules that was developed by a committee of staff members and then approved by the entire staff after we had parents that attended previous dances and found the student dancing to be upsetting," Wooderchak said. "This process didn't involve any students and I believe that is part of the issuehellip;I can tell you that I plan to work with our newly elected ASB officers throughout the summer to come up with a student proposal that will be given to both the high school staff and eventually our Board of Trustees. By including everyone in the development, we hope to have a better understanding of each groups' concerns and we hope to create dance policies that everyone is more comfortable with."

The current policy does not pertain to middle school students, only high school students, Wooderchak confirmed. She said she honestly hadn't thought about a middle school policy, and said it may be a good idea for the ASB at the middle school to also come up with its own dance policy.

After the prom, some said the new rules really affected how comfortable the students were at the prom, with some opting not to dance at all to stay out of trouble. Others in the community said the rules did not affect how much dancing went on at the prom.

"We have to let our kids be kids," said one parent who attended the dance and does not support the new rules. "The kids were not dancing."

The parent said most of the students stood at the prom in one group and chatted. One couple did do a "front-to-back, bump and grind," but they did so just to get a rise out of chaperones and cause some commotion, the parent said.

"A lot of the kids didn't want to be there," the parent added. "It was zero fun."

The parent said they were confident of their child's actions at the dance because of the good morals instilled in the child. The parent added that it would be OK for young kids "in love" to slow dance and "maybe kiss a little bit." Those who are complaining about the style of dancing are "righteous people who are trying to push things in public school," the parent said. "If I set the right morals in my kids they should be OK."

Dana Foney, a local mother of middle school-aged children who are homeschooled in Waitsburg said she withdrew her children from the brick-and-mortar building in November and she's all for the new rules.

"All school functions should follow the same rules (as rules enforced during school hours)," Foney said. "We weren't allowed to do these sorts of things. I don't think they're allowed to make out in a corner before class starts."

Asking students to behave at school dances as they do in class at school shouldn't be a huge stretch, Foney said. With three daughters of her own, Foney said she wants to see good and acceptable behavior at all school functions, but there's no need to run around with tape measures to make sure the kids aren't dancing too close.

"When you're dancing, you will touch each other," Foney said. "There has to be common sense and respect."

She added that the guidelines need to be consistent and not so strict that the kids don't have a good time. But, Foney also said she sees the tough place the district is in.

"They're doing their best," she said.