New Waitsburg Dance Rules Remain In Effect

WAITSBURG - Atten­dance at the recent WHS Harvest Ball was down com­pared to the Homecoming Dance earlier in the school year, according to Waitsburg School District officials. Only 40 kids showed up for the second of three annual school-facilitated dances.

Short of a student body survey, it's hard to know why fewer students attended the event, but school officials are concerned some would-be dancers stayed away because of the controversy over dance rules and parent access to the kids' social activities.

"I think it's sad our kids are intimidated like that," board Vice Chair Greg Zuger said about speculation that the presence of scrutiniz­ing parents at some recent dances has had a chilling ef­fect on student participation at subsequent dances like the Harvest Ball.

The parents attended the earlier dances because they said they were alarmed by the provocative dance styles that have made it onto local dance floors. To address these con­cerns, WHS members of the Associated Student Body and high school staff negoti­ated a new set of rules that restricted bump and grind moves but also limited the duration of parents' presence at the dances.

The new rules in turn prompted some parents to wonder whether their rights to access student events were violated, so district Super­intendent Dr. Carol Clarke sought guidance in the mat­ter from a state schools as­sociation and reported her findings to the school board last Wednesday.

According to Heidi May­nard, director of Policy and Legal Services at the Wash­ington State School Directors Association, parents have a "common law right to access public areas like the school." But they do not have a right to cause a disruption at any school activity.

In her letter seeking the association's legal guidance in the controversy, Clarke explained that several parents who were at recent dances (but not as chaperones) made comments about the students' dancing and attire, urging the official chaperones "to do something."

The superintendent fur­ther noted in her letter that students felt this and some parents' silent monitoring of the dance "took away from their overall enjoyment (of the dance)."

In response to this de­scription, Maynard said "you (the district) may have evi­dence that this parent (one who critically monitored the event) was indeed causing a disruption."

Maynard said the school may be able to limit ac­cess under these circum­stances, but board members on Wednesday were quick to point out that contacting law enforcement to facili­tate parents' removal should be avoided in favor of a more reasoned approach that leaves parent access manage­( ment and other dance rules enforcement to the official chaperones.

Board member Marilyn Johnson said she prefers to "make parents part of the solution, to include them using the carrot rather than the stick approach."

The benefits of seek- ing the alarmed parents' inclusion and involvement were echoed by Marcene Hendrickson, a Daytonarea resident who shared her views on the controversy during the board meeting's public comment period on the matter.

"I was appalled at the dancing," Hendrickson said, citing a recent visit to a similar high school dance in Dayton, where similar provocative dancing styles have emerged. "I would have pulled my kid out."

Although not in attendance at any of the recent WHS dances, Hendrickson said the Dayton dance's style turned off some DHS teen- agers and led her to believe that such discouragement may have contributed to the drop in Waitsburg's Harvest Ball attendance.

"I'm worried," she told the Waitsburg school board. "Some (Dayton) kids didn't want to go back to the dance."

Board Chair Ross Hamann said a student-staff di- alogue led to more restrictive dance rules, to which ASB members agreed to ensure continued district support for the extracurricular events.

High School Principal Stephanie Wooderchak said attendance is not required and parents still uncomfortable with the new rules can chose not to send their teenagers to the dances.

Cardinals have one more opportunity this school year to attend a dance when the prom rolls around next spring.