'No Contact' a Touchy Issue at Middle School [Touching banned at school]

Los Angeles Times ^ | 12/27/05 | Cynthia H. Cho

[TFFKAMM]

Matthew Almodovar likes holding his girlfriend's hand during lunch or when they're walking to class. But at Culver City Middle School, that display of affection could land the couple in trouble.

At the only public middle school in Culver City, it is against school policy for students to hold hands, hug or kiss on campus. Perhaps more important, the "no contact" rule also prohibits students from hitting, shoving or pushing classmates.

Schools nationwide have policies to prevent violence and sexual harassment, but some go further — such as creating a rule against touching. In March, one middle school student in Bend, Ore., was sent to detention after repeatedly defying a teacher's warning to refrain from hugging another student. A similar situation occurred at a junior high in Euless, Texas, in 2003.

Many educators say the policy teaches students what is — and isn't — appropriate behavior at school, which they say is especially important during the middle school years. What's OK at the mall or the movies, some educators say, isn't necessarily OK at school, where the focus should be on academics.

There are others, however, who say that although in theory the policy could be effective, it is nearly impossible to implement because enforcement is subjective and inconsistent.

The policy came out of a meeting two years ago when administrators, counselors and teachers discussed bullying, a topic that former Principal Patricia Jaffe said was "extremely important" at middle schools everywhere. Jaffe was principal at the 1,739-student school until October and is now an assistant superintendent of the Culver City Unified School District...

[vrwc0915]

0 intelligence ping

[Adrastus]

Makes me glad I was in school in.....years ago.

[Nam Vet]

Seems like you have to be a certified moron to be a school administrator for a public school nowadays. Total lunacy. My oldest son is 32 and my youngest is not quite 16, but I taught all my sons the same thing. i.e. Some idiot dude gives you too much cr*p and gets physical, ring their 'doorbell'. My only darling daughter just reminded troublemakers that she had more than a couple of brothers. Worked well for all of them. As a mater of fact, there have been very few fights.

No contact? No hand holding? No fights? The liberal, blithering idiots seek to obliterate or ignore basic human nature!

Nam Vet

[ApplegateRanch]

the "no contact" rule also prohibits students from hitting, shoving or pushing classmates.

P.E. must be nothing but calisthetics or track & field.

On the bright side, no pig-push ballroom dance instruction! Woo-hoo!

[skaterboy]

Stop the blow jobs in class n in the bathrooms not holding hands..jesus tap dancing christ

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

And of course that means that Planned Parenthood will be handing out special 'I did not have contact with that schoolmate' condoms on the playground.

[motzman]

The new Culver City Middle School uniform:

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

Matthew Almodovar likes holding his girlfriend's hand during lunch or when they're walking to class. But at Culver City Middle School, that display of affection could land the couple in trouble.

Why does a middle school student have a girlfriend? This is ridiculous.

[Nextrush]

Adults are leading the way in sexualizing children but this sort of reminds me of those rules at Bob Jones University about no closer than six inches between males and females. The liberal secular education system imitating the rules of a fundamentalist religious school.

[binkdeville]

Complete stupidity if you ask me. How about working on math and English skills instead of worrying about that crap.

[FOG724]

The biggest problem in middle schools are the female vice principals.

[Smokin' Joe]

This is pretty close to one of the major reasons why my live-in grand kids are going to private school. When I checked out the local school district's policy manual for the public schools, I found out that a Kindergardener who hugs another kid can be written up for sexual harassment.

Within the hour I had my granddaughter enrolled in a parochial school.

[Hank Rearden]

Government gulags suck.

[taxesareforever]

This is middle school. Hats off to the school. There is a reason why kids graduate without being able to read. Their idea of school is getting together with the opposite sex for anything but studying and reading.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

I suppose Indian rope burns and "noogies" are right out! (A cheerless place.)

[thoughtomator]

What's so ridiculous about puppy love?

[Oztrich Boy]

The liberal secular education system imitating the rules of a fundamentalist religious school

But think how this will ease the transition

Bob Jones > liberal secular education system >

[newzjunkey]

Didn't I see Leslie Nielson don one of those in a Naked Gun film?

[SkyPilot]

Zero Tolerance = ZERO Judgment