What Are the Negative Effects of Public Displays of Affection in High Schools?

Public displays of affection have been banned in some high schools.

Public displays of affection can include anything from high-fives and hand-holding to prolonged kissing and inappropriate touching. Some school administrators, parents and students feel that such contact is distracting and has no place in schools, and have reacted by banning all pubic displays of affection on school property. The reactions of students to such bans have been mixed, but it is generally agreed that public displays of affection in high schools are inappropriate.

Negative Effects

Public displays of affection are believed to be distracting to students. Hugging in particular also interferes with the flow of students through hallways. Parents and school administrators worry that public displays of affection could lead to sexual activity in hallways. There are also fears that allowing public displays of affection could lead to accusations of sexual harassment between students.

Policing Public Displays of Affection

In some schools, public displays of affection between students are banned outright. What is considered appropriate behavior is outlined in the school policy, which is usually printed in the school's agenda. At the very least, school administrators request that students consider good taste and respect for others before engaging in such displays. Students engaging in what is considered inappropriate behavior have been punished with detentions and suspensions.

Bans on Public Displays of Affection

Some schools in the United States and in Britain have banned all public displays of affection between students. The extent of bans on public displays of affection varies from school to school, with some allowing handshakes and high-fives, and others prohibiting even these brief forms of physical contact. The general consensus is that school property is not an appropriate place for public displays of affection between couples, and that students' attention needs to be focused on school work.

Inappropriate Public Displays of Affection

Different people have different opinions on what sorts of behaviors are harmless or inappropriate. Differences in cultural mores is also a source of different ideas about what constitutes appropriate behavior. However, school administrators cannot accommodate every cultural scruple, and must draw the line where they deem best.

Reactions of Students

The reactions of students to public displays of affection between their peers varies. Some students consider hugging and kissing to be valid forms of expression, and than bans on such activity are a form of repression by the school administration. Others agree that excessive public displays of affection are distracting, unpleasant and disrupt traffic between classes.

References

• "Do School Hugging Bans Go Too Far?"; by Zosia Bielski; The Globe and Mail; Jan 21, 2011.
• Connect With Kids: Public Displays of Affection
• "Policing Displays of Affection at School"; by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore; The Christian Science Monitor; May 23, 2005
• The Principals' Partnership: Public Displays of Affection