I laughed my ass off when I read this on neowin
To even considering hugging to be a form of sexual gesture is just obserd. I'm almost out of my high school in 15 days, but still.....no one can express themselves anymoreMiddle school bans hugs
Centennial students not keen about new rule on 'PDAs'
By Brittany Anas, Camera Staff Writer
April 29, 2005
Administrators at a north Boulder school on Thursday banned hugs in the hallways, which has some middle school sweethearts complaining that blooming spring love has been nipped in the bud.
"I mean, how are you supposed to say'bye to your girlfriend?" asked Centennial Middle School eighth-grader Noah Hahn.
During an intermission at a school musical Thursday night, Noah, 13, and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Scooby Phillips, mockingly gave each other a high-five, demonstrating what they said administrators at their school told students to replace hugs with. Noah and Scooby, who have been going out for about a month, said they will probably continue to hug.
Centennial Assistant Principal Becky Escamilla said that some concerned sixth-grade teachers asked the administration to spell out policies surrounding "PDAs" — jargon for public displays of affection.
"There was some sixth-grade romance going on," she said.
Escamilla said the school is not anti-hug.
"We just want our kids to be appropriate at school and focus on academics," she said.
No students were punished on Thursday for hugging at school, Escamilla said. It is unclear what the punishments for public displays of affection will be.
Ellen Miller-Brown, the Boulder Valley School District's middle-level director, said most schools have rules about showing affection.
"At academic institutions, principals do their very best to keep students focused on school," she said.
Students at Centennial aren't embracing the new hug rules, though.
Sixth-grader Amma Maya, 12, said teachers on Thursday told her and her classmates that hugs between girls need to be limited to a couple of seconds, and they can only put their arms around one another's shoulders.
"It's so evil!" said Amma, with so much emotion that her silver hoop earrings started swinging with her hand expressions. "It's so mean."
Amma estimates that she gives and takes a total of about 20 hugs during a typical school day.
Students said they were told they can't hug in ways that they are contacting one another in places that bathing suits are supposed to cover. Students said they started a "hugs not drugs" petition, asking teachers to give them back their hugging and hand-holding privileges.
"I think hugs should be OK," said eighth-grader Hayley Thomas. "It's not like kids are making out. It's ridiculous."
Parent Diane McCarthy, who's on the board of the school's parent-teacher organization, said her seventh-grade daughter told her that "no one can hug anymore."
Her daughter is one of the students urging the school to return their right to hug — almost a necessity for middle school girls.
"They get to school, they hug," McCarthy said. "They leave school, they hug. You would think they hadn't seen each other for a year."
Camera Staff Writer Amy Bounds contributed to this report.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at (303) 473-1132 or [email protected].
