Thread: More of our rights eliminated

This isn't neccisarily on Immigration, it's more about the diminishing of our rights.
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"Teens protest school's no hugging policy"
Angelique Soenarie and Kerry Fehr-Snyder
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 29, 2008 05:08 PM

A group of Shepherd Junior High School students in east Mesa protested a new school policy banning student hugs with a giant group hug on Friday.

Students waited until school was dismissed before gathering across the street from campus to begin hugging each other and chanting, "We want hugs."

Some kids piggybacked on the shoulders of their friends to hug other students.





The public display of affection and chanting began at 3:45 p.m. and lasted about 20 minutes.

Principal Eileen Cahoon did not return calls seeking comment about the new anti-hugging policy and student reaction to it.

The new rule was announced Wednesday. The rule had been in the student handbook previously.

Kathy Bareiss, spokeswoman for Mesa Public Schools, said Cahoon reminded students of the policy after surveying the school's students and finding that about 400, or one-third of them, "were concerned about public kissing and hugging in the hall."

One student, 14-year-old Chelsea Burnham, said she had to serve an hour detention Thursday because she was caught hugging a friend the day before. She also was forced to read the school's new "public display of affection" policy.

Bareiss couldn't confirm that students who violated the policy were being ordered to serve detention.

Teachers and administrators have long been cautioned against hugging students. More rare are rules aimed at hugging between students on school grounds. Administrators and other officials also have been more focused on student bullying.

"We don't think it's fair they tell us how to communicate with each other," said sophomore Raeleen Gonzales, 14. "It's just like how parents and adults greet each other."

Before the protest, a group of students met with the principal to learn what was considered acceptable public displays of affection and what wasn't.

The list of acceptable public displays are:


• Stopping and talking in the halls (but moving to the side to allow others to pass).


• Shaking a friend's hand and patting him on the back in a "man hug"


• Draping an arm around someone's shoulder in a "hook hug"


• Holding hands


• Linking arms


• Hugging no longer than 2 seconds


• Respecting other people's opinions and values
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa ... g0301.html

Our daughter does not attend this particular school but another within the same district and this policy at Shepherd has been a hot topic of conversation.

Surprisingly, there's really not a tremendous amount of kids against the policy per se but basically just against the fact that an adult.....and OMG, an adult in authority no less .......has implemented yet another rule seen as critical of how they express themselves. Kind of the same reaction elicited by dress codes and decisions to remove junk food vending machines.

Beyond that, most of the kids don't have a problem with it due to the embarassing and, shall we say, overly amorous, conduct of some of their school mates.

They even thought it was a little extreme when an attorney, I believe from the ACLU, piped up with her theory that policies like these are explained as being for one reason when in reality they are put into place to target, and covertly violate the rights of, gay students