Private Lives

[richlevy]

And you thought nuns were tough.....


Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

Link to school website

This is interesting. Considering how outrageous some proms have gotten and the fact that he signed a contract, I can even understand the school's point. However it does go to the issue of how much control a school or work should have over someone's personal life as far as legal activities are concerned.

Also, since education is required by the state, can a school interfere with someones education over legal activities performed outside the classroom? Did the contract state that the rules applied off-campus? Can an individual sign away his or her rights to a private organization?

Most of the Bill of Rights applies to restrictions on government. This is why homeowners associations can keep people from installing flagpoles on their property and why 'morals clauses' in contracts are enforceable.

However, I believe that there is a point where legal private behavior should be considered private behavior. This is not a boarding school situation, where I'm guessing (I'm not a lawyer) the school shares custodial rights with parents.

I think I could argue both sides of the issue here. I would like to see the contract he (or his legal guardian) signed.

FINDLAY, Ohio – A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.
Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.
Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.
The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.
Frost's stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school's rules should not apply outside the classroom.
"He deserves to wear that cap and gown," Johnson said.

School's response. I cannot find the text of the 'statement of cooperation'. I would also counter that Jesus challenged a lot of authoritarian rules. Heck, King Solomon would have hosted the prom.

First, the article in the Courier is fairly accurate. What the article leaves out are the principles behind the rules. In the Old Testament, Joseph was in a place of temptation and he fled. Unlike this situation, he didn’t put himself in that place. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.” II Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts but follow after righteousness faith charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” When the school committee, many years before I became the principal, set up the policy regarding dancing, I am confident that they had the principle of fleeing lustful situations in mind. The question as I see it is, should a Christian place themselves at an event where young ladies will have low cut dresses and be dancing in them? Isn’t it contrary to the example of Joseph and the verses that I stated?
Second, at the beginning of the school year, every family must sign a statement of cooperation. Students in 7th through 12th grades must also sign it. It doesn’t say that you have to agree with them, but that we will all abide by them. What kind of a school would we be if we suspended a policy because it was convenient to do so? That would not be a Christ-like response. Jesus did not avoid trouble. He made statements such as, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). His statements didn’t make Him popular with the world. Can we expect anything else? The verses that I have thought of throughout this day are Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Wow! I can build up a whole lot of rewards in heaven today, and so can you.

Addendum: I went searching for some more info and found this. Apparently, some people are feeling the heat.

[Cloud]

stupid. dancing is joy, and joy is a blessing.

I don't think they can enforce the "statement" he signed anyway in a court of law.

[piercehawkeye45]

Don't blame the school. They are doing it to make God happy.

[Juniper]

Yuck. Hey - when I was 15, I had a 17 year old boyfriend who went to a Christian school like the one in the article. His parents didn't like me --I was CATHOLIC, isn't that horrible? Everyone knows they're not REAL Christians, LOL. They lectured me all the time. I went to a Catholic HS and once his father asked me, seriously, if I "even owned a Bible." Yeesh. No idea why I put up with it. I was 15, what can I say.

Anyhow, he took me to his prom. This "prom" consisted of everyone getting dressed up (my dress had to be approved first by his parents, it looked like something Laura Ingalls might have worn) and having dinner (which was horrible). They played Christian music and did a slideshow of photos from the kids' school years and babyhood. And that was it.

After the prom, a teacher caught us in the parking lot kissing.

The school officials agreed not to punish my boyfriend if he agreed not to date me anymore.

We still went out a few times after that, but his parents didn't know about it. Soon thereafter I met someone else who did not have such restrictions upon his life and could actually have some fun.

[classicman]

I would think a policy at a school like that which already has a uniform [(clothing) context for Kingswood] policy could also have one so that the kids wore "appropriate" attire. Specific dress lengths and whatnot.
I find it interesting that they seemed to single out the girls more than the boys.

What kind of a school would we be if we suspended a policy because it was convenient to do so?

This one sentence I agree with. If the policy is bad/incorrect/whatever, then change it. If not, then uphold it. It appears that all the parents knew what they were doing when they made the decision to send their children there.

[Sundae]

I'm with you Classic.
It's news because it seems such a harmless thing to forbid, but the real story happened when they signed the piece of paper.

If you send your son to a school with rules that strict, you have to expect him to abide by them. Not your personal beliefs? Don't send your kid there. They get the best education results in the local area? Fine - it will teach your kid that sometimes we suffer short term pain for long term gain.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I'm with you Classic.
It's news because it seems such a harmless thing to forbid, but the real story happened when they signed the piece of paper.

If you send your son to a school with rules that strict, you have to expect him to abide by them. Not your personal beliefs? Don't send your kid there. They get the best education results in the local area? Fine - it will teach your kid that sometimes we suffer short term pain for long term gain.

I still want to see if the contract was specific in prohibiting after school behavior.

There are a lot of strange policies at some of these schools. Some rules skirt the edges of being legal, like restrictions on interracial dating (Bob Jones University had that policy until a GWB visit in 2000).

[ZenGum]

Fools. Haven't they seen Footloose?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Dancing leads to fornication.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Fools. Haven't they seen Footloose?

that's exactly what I thought. Kevin Bacon rules!

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Dancing leads to fornication.

Worse than that, fornication sometimes leads to dancing!

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Fools. Haven't they seen Footloose?

Haven't they seen Robert Webb's Flashdance?
Dance leads to cross-dressing and confusion amongst males when they fancy a pair of legs... without an entrance at the top.

[DanaC]

Oh I loved that!

Did you see Paddy and Leigh's entry? They were storming.

[TheMercenary]

A number of religious colleges have significant restrictions as well. I was amazed at what they included.

[classicman]

I just saw on tv that the boy, who goes to this school, took the girl, who does NOT, to HER school dance. This was not about a school function from his school. Hmm need to think a little more about this. At first I am not so sure they should have much say in the matter.