Thanks to Heather, a recent story was brought to my attention.
It seems that a middle school in Vienna, Virginia has taken the “keeps your hands to yourself” rule one step further.
The middle school decided to enforce a new policy that states that children are not allowed to touch one another. The school is strict about upholding its policy and the school administrator defends the rule.
The new rule helps the school keep control in locations such as the hallways and the cafeteria.
Some parents and students are not so thrilled about the school’s strict course of action.
One student who is not a fan of the policy was disciplined after giving his girlfriend a hug.
I taught eighth grade in an elementary school. We had typical sneaks of handholding and hugs. I can only imagine the scale to which the affection is carried out in a middle school setting. For this reason I believe that hands-off rules should apply, but on a case by case basis.
Let’s look at other forms of touching other than girlfriend/boyfriend situations.
High fives, handshakes, and pats on the back are forms in which our society compliments one another. Girls at this age are known to innocently hug and lounge on each other.
I agree that touching, such as arm punches and taps, which uses begins as playful often turns into fighting or worse scenarios. Eliminating these could stop a lot of trouble during free periods such as lunch and class changes. However not all touching causes trouble.
This situation is close to falling under the zero tolerance policies. To say that all touching regardless of the circumstance be prohibited I feel is absurd. Teachers are adults. We should be able to distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not.
I think that a clearer more detailed policy may be better. The policy could point out certain activities, such as horseplay and couple displays of affection, which are not allowed.
I would be very upset if my child got into trouble at school for congratulating a friend with a high five. As a teacher, I have been known to shake the hand or pat the back of a student for a job well done.
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