High School Bans Grinding, Cancels Dances for the Year

Dirty dancing, freak dancing, grinding – teens have been getting down at school dances for years, but in the 2015-16 school year, they won’t have the chance.

Why?

Gorham High School in Maine banned the homecoming dance and other dances expect for prom this school year. Instead, kids are invited to attend a bonfire. The reason: grinding. Principal Chris Record tells Yahoo! Parenting the school wants to promote safety and respect. Grinding is not appropriate for students, he adds.

“I think it’s unfortunate that kids don’t know how to dance and have fun in ways other than grinding,” Record says.

He sent a note to parents saying the dance is something not even condoned during school hours. “And while in some ways the school is seen as ‘taking this away from,’ what we’re really trying to do is just keep kids safe.”

Grinding, Record says, endorses sex. A girl’s back is pressed against a boy’s chest without a gap and they’re dancing.

“Dances have always been exciting and fun for students. It’s part of our culture in U.S. schools to host dances,” he tells Yahoo! Parenting. “But unfortunately the sexual and objectifying nature of dancing right now just doesn’t match what our school condone.”

But isn’t this something that every generation has done? Is it acceptable in this generation? In Record’s opinion, it’s not.

Commenters on the article from Yahoo Parenting have mix feelings about the rule. Commenter Richard says despite keeping the school safe by banning dances, the bonfire does not help if there is not supervision. Robert also says when he went to high school in the ’70s, the school didn’t censor the dances.

“If they want to grind, they will! Just someplace else,” Robert adds.

So it goes back to the question of generations: has it changed? Was it ever really allowed?

It’s certain that teens 20 to 30 years ago danced in that fashion. But as the times change so do people’s attitudes toward certain situations. What was once cool is now frowned upon; however, there needs to be a balance.

Another commenter Matt says when he was in high school, students had an alternative dance at the same time as his school’s scheduled dance. And that is possible. A year ago on Oct. 4, 2014, students from Moline High School in Illinois hosted an Anti-Homecoming dance after their school banned grinding.

But how did they deal with grinding? The club’s owner, Narveen Aryaputri, tells the Huffington Post the venue still had rules, and if a student was caught grinding security stepped in. Aside from security, parents supervised and one parent took the role of a DJ.

“They had a blast,” Aryaputri says. “They had a great time.”

Nearly 350 students participated in the dance. Without major issues, it was successful, Aryapuri adds.

In my high school, if a student was caught grinding they were asked to stop. It’s unclear if Record tried this type of approach but it’s something to look into.

Homecoming is one of the dances where you create memories. Teens should have an opportunity to experience at least once in high school before going to prom and graduation.

What do you think about this no-dance rule? Tell us in the comments section below.

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