Do you think that Virginia School's 'No Touching' rule should be stricken down?

Question

Virginia schools have a rule that does not allow touching of any kind.. no handshakes, no hugs, no pats on the back.. nothing...

Their reasons seem to be that SOME handshakes are gang signs.. too many students gathering to do HIGH FIVEs in the hallways causes congestion..

I think that the schools should deal with their problems and not restrict the students choice of expression.

So Cindy: Since you are the only dissenter so far: I take it that you don't want the principal to teach the students to respect anything except rules.. not each other, not other people, not customs? Here in Texas there was a 6 yr old that was suspended from school for kissing another student that he liked. He didn't understand the rules, he didn't understand why he was not allowed back into school for the duration of his suspension. Does the principal at this school shake the hands of the board members as they enter the principals office to chat? Does the rule apply to the football team members as they run to the sidelines after a touchdown?.. or is it only for the students that the principal doesn't agree with?...

I think this rule is a statement that the principal cannot handle the problems at the school and I think that the principal should be replaced with someone that can.

Our middle school (where my children attended last year) has a rule against PDA (public display of affection) and the students get into trouble for even LOOKING like they are ABOUT to Hug! Our daughter is the type that her brain goes dead when she gets emotional and she likes to HUG her friends.. it's called hormones.. and I think that rules that really mean something to the community should be enforced and the others should be stricken from the school...

But, then again.. I think it is Virginia that makes it illegal for an unmarried man and woman to be in the same room without shoes on their feet (possibly removed from the law books by now?)

As a teacher, I see rules like these generated all the time. They do not solve the problems but only compound them. Teachers are forced to enforce rules that they themselves have trouble following (it is hard for me NOT to shake the hand of a parent when I meet them). The problem in the particular school where this rule is being enforced is that it is over crowded. My school district pays a LOT of school taxes because it is growing faster than most areas (my town was about 4000 population in 1993 and it is now 25000).. but the community DOES support the school system.. and the schools also ask for input when they are going to change any kind of rules inside the schools. The school is supposed to represent the community in values, and hopefully better than the community in education

There is a BIG difference between backing a student that does not follow the rules and fighting to get a rule discarded once it has been put into place. If the student disobeyed the rules.. then he needs to be punished.. but at the same time, it does not mean that the rule needs to stay in place.

I believe this rule HAS been stricken down now. No further answers are needed.

Answer 1

absolutely not!! My sister was suspended from school for 1 day for violating the no touch rule at our Junior High in Louisiana in about 1968. My parents advice: "You broke the rule, and there will be rules for the rest of your life."

I can just imagine what my defiant 13 year old sister would have been like after that. Thank God we had strong leaders at our school and thank God we had real parents.

Hats off to this principal. So many principals and teachers don't interfere with the kids because of the parents reactions. I say this principal is awesome. He has set politics aside and it's time for the parents to remind their kids that throughout life there will be rules that we don't like, but as long as they are not harmful to us we must abide.

My daughter went to high school in Tennessee where kids had sex in the stairwells and any empty closet or room they could find. The principal was a nice guy, but he could not stand up to the parents and kids. He put our kids in danger because they acted like wild animals and knew that no one would stop them.

I applaude this principal and wish more people in education would just say "to heck with politics" and be the leaders that our kids need for the 30+ hours a week that they spend with these people.

It doesn't matter how silly the rule seems to us, it was put in place for a reason. Come on adults, teenagers are running wild while parents and lawyers are tying the hands of the people who should be allowed to lead our kids. Let them do their jobs. Furthermore, parents do your job. Teach your kids to respect others and rules.

If this lawsuit is lost. The kids in that school will suffer because they will have been taught something really bad. They will have learned that their principal and their teachers can't do or say anything to them.

That is why many of our American Teens are in trouble now, they don't respect anyone or anything.

For these kids sake, pray that this lawsuit is lost.

REPLY--I raised 3 daughters, their hormones are raging, and they are more emotional than smart at the Jr. High Stage. I think it's a good time to teach them that there are rules and that they must abide by them. I also think that if they want to "express" themselves they can do so somewhere else.

Do you think that when obnoxious parents tie the hands of the schools leaders that maybe that is when the kids are in danger? You know , perhaps if a teacher recognizes a problem before it happens, like in Colombine and they ignore it because they know some dippy parent will cause trouble?

Think about when you were a teen. I know that if my parents had gotten huffy when my sister was suspended, that is all she would have needed to justify the fact that she did something wrong and she later admitted to me that she just did it anyway, she knew she wasn't supposed to hug that boy. A bit of defiance.

Go ahead--tie their hands, but quit whining about the shootings, and about the sex in the closets and stairwells. It's better for the teachers and principals just to stay silent and try to appease the parents. Private schools have very strict codes of conduct, but the parents don't whine, they shell out as much as $25,000 a year per child in my area.

No touching for elementary school is over the top. I do see a purpose at the Jr. High level. What was the name of the Elementary School in Texas where a 6 year old was suspended? I think the enforcer may need special education.

What was the name of the school in Texas? I would like to confirm with the school board.

Parents can't pull their kids out of school. They can however send them to private schools where the rules are even more strict. So that might be in the best interest of the child in the long run.

Answer 2

I live in Va,

When my kids reach highschool I would like to hope that not only will they learn the educational skills needed to graduate I assume they will also learn how the real world works. I'm not too happy about the the heavy handed rules some school systems use to restrict expression, thats not how the real world is. But when faced with increasing threats to students and faculty safety there is little room to maneuver.

However, some school systems make things FAR worse but not useing common sense in judgement.

So what does that say about the hopes of parents whos children are stuck in school system run by fools?

Answer 3

Of course! it should be! Touching is one way for kids to develop physically and emotionally. By touching they can express concern, love, respect, appreciation and some other emotions that no words can give justice to. By banning this show of emotion is unfair and inhuman.

By touching we can show the sincerity of some or even most emotions. in banning it, teenagers most especially won't be able to show sincerity of feelings.

practically speaking, high fives as gang signs? come on! it is a way of greeting! I am a teenager too. i know these kind of things. Don't these adults trust us?

In banning touching, how can i hug my best friend after a fight or how can i congratulate someone if i can't shake his/her hand? How can I communicate effectively if i can't even touch someone?

This rule is somewhat stupid... There are other ways to control congestion if that is the problem. in our school we ask the students to line up whenever they come up or down at the same time. We ask them to step aside or continue walking if ever they cause congestion. But we don't ban Touching!

This rule should be thrashed...

Answer 4

yes. but I do understand why it is like that in the first place. It sounds like a violation of free speech or something to me. Non-verbal communication is still a way of communication-that needs no words to relay feelings. Someone sad will be consoled by a tender hug from a friend.
Actions speak louder than words, its a way of expression for everyone not just kids are giving hugs for reassurance, high fives for good work done. Society is just getting so impersonal and less and less is it about people-rather than rules. We're going to look and sound like robots one day, just standing there expressionless, and unfeeling because we are limited to what we can say and do.

Answer 5

I think it's a great rule to have for exactly one week as an experiment. Advertise it in advance, and tell the students, "Look, let's try something weird. Let's see if we can go one week, just one week, with no touching." Then when the week is over, talk about it. Learn from it.

Answer 6

It's an insane rule. Instead of dealing with those doing the BAD behavior, they punish everyone by not allowing them to do anything innocent. Children are very "touchy" creatures. It's part of how they communicate. Besides being impossible to enforce, it is really sending a VERY bad message.

Answer 7

that pta bit ch needs 2 back off! high 5's lead 2 chest bumps which leads to gay marriage which leads to the downfall of society! well, maybe not. but still, that's ridiculous. it'll be to hard to enforce and kids will get suspended and parents will just pull them out.

Answer 8

It's just too stupid. I saw the PTA woman on Glenn Beck defending it and she just looked so dumb trying to justify it. It's a world gone mad!

Answer 9

I agree I think that rule is a little too harsh, it doesnt teach people the proper way to greet people. a handshake or high five should be just fine regardless of gangs and such.

Answer 10

Yes! So much of school is learning comfortable, appropriate social interaction. Yes, there are limits - but I agree that this goes too far.