No hugs allowed at Ill. middle school

[hermanntrude]

Tue Oct 2, 7:33 AM ET

OAK PARK, Ill. - If you need a hug, you won't get it at Percy Julian Middle School. Principal Victoria Sharts banned hugging among the suburban Chicago school's 860 students anywhere inside the building. She said students were forming "hug lines" that made them late for classes and crowded the hallways.

"Hugging is really more appropriate for airports or for family reunions than passing and seeing each other every few minutes in the halls," Sharts said.

Another reason to institute the no-hugging policy was that some hugs could be too long and too close, she said.

"There is another side to the issue when a hug is either unwanted or becomes inappropriate as judged by one of the students involved," Sharts wrote in a statement to parents. "On occasion, we do deal with those incidents. The goal is always to promote safe and orderly hallways where everybody can get by, be safe, and be on time."

Associated Press

 

[karrie]

Yikes. What a scary thought... schools with rules against hugging. Grandpa has cancer? Boyfriend broke up with you? Mom beat you again? Dad's drinking again? Suck it up and get to class.

 

[Curiosity]

Seems Canada has the same idea ... One blog from 2006...

http://trashysworld.wordpress.com/2006/12/14/teachers-schools-and-the-evils-of-hugging/

 

[karrie]

yeah, pretty much anytime a stupid idea grabs a foot hold in modern society, it's everywhere. It's sad and sickening. I think our children deserve more than this sort of ridiculousness.

 

[I think not]

yeah, pretty much anytime a stupid idea grabs a foot hold in modern society, it's everywhere. It's sad and sickening. I think our children deserve more than this sort of ridiculousness.

Of course they do, they deserve a hug.

 

[karrie]

Of course they do, they deserve a hug.

7 hugs a day is what most of my friends call the minimum for good mental health. If they don't get a few from their friends at school, boy that puts a lot of extra pressure on me!

 

[Tonington]

Of course they do, they deserve a hug.

And someone deserves a slap... no hugs,WTF.

 

[Tonington]

7 hugs a day is what most of my friends call the minimum for good mental health. If they don't get a few from their friends at school, boy that puts a lot of extra pressure on me!

Dang, wish I got 7 hugs a day.:-(

 

[karrie]

Dang, wish I got 7 hugs a day.:-(

I'm guaranteed 4 hugs a day, just for popping over to my friends' house for coffee or drinks. Everyone hugs walking in, everyone hugs walking out.

 

[JoeSchmoe]

slow news day....?

 

[karrie]

what makes you ask if it's a slow news day? You don't think people making stupid policies that the children of our society have to live with, is news?

 

[Tonington]

Still a hell of a lot better than discussing dreary old wars, conspiracies and senseless murders.

Hugs are a way that anyone can make a small or big difference to someones day. I like hugs...kids like hugs. My mom gets hugged by her students a lot, though she admittedly feels nervous about that in this day and age. She teaches kindergarten for crying out loud!

 

[karrie]

Still a hell of a lot better than discussing dreary old wars, conspiracies and senseless murders.

There's a reason my sig is what it is. lol.

Hugs are a way that anyone can make a small or big difference to someones day. I like hugs...kids like hugs. My mom gets hugged by her students a lot, though she admittedly feels nervous about that in this day and age. She teaches kindergarten for crying out loud!

my son used to leave kindergarten the same way, every day, giving his teacher a great big bum hug. lol. He'd hug any woman who looked his way. He's a bit more reserved now, but he still loves hugging.

 

[Unforgiven]

In just a few seconds you can convey more emotion and caring than in an hour of lecturing.

 

[karrie]

exactly Unf.

No friends should have to try to go it in an environment where they can't hug to end a stupid fight, or mend a broken heart.

It's just more stripping away of the last vestiges of humanity within our school systems.

 

[hermanntrude]

it sounds like one of these playground rituals sprung up here, though, these hug-lines spoken of... it sounds strange but could be good... although the reasons they cite for banning are partly that they delay classes. Perhaps they just banned the hug-lines? and perhaps they wouldn't care too much as long as it didn't interfere with classes... you know what journalism is like... quite possibly this story is a lot less than it seems

 

[karrie]

I don't know, her quotes seemed to back up what the article was saying.

What I don't get is this....

There's already a rule that students need to be in class on time. There are rules in most schools about not loitering in the halls. Rules about respecting personal space. Why on earth do schools need to make new rules banning every thing that might make the rules be broken, rather than educating their students as to the true implications of the initial rules?

Isn't that a part of what our kids are at these schools to learn?

 

[hermanntrude]

good point, karrie.

 

[shadowshiv]

7 hugs a day is what most of my friends call the minimum for good mental health. If they don't get a few from their friends at school, boy that puts a lot of extra pressure on me!

Karrie, may I have a hug please?

 

[Tonington]

I second Hermann's good point Karrie, damn good point.