17 December, 2014
A letter distributed by the High School Administration today announces no more Dances at the High School:
As you may have heard from your son/daughter, we have decided that we will no longer offer dances held at the high school including the 9/10th grade Cotillion in March. This decision excludes the Junior Prom. The Prom is held at a different venue and student behavior has not been of significant concern in the past.
We acknowledge and understand that parents and students may be upset by this decision, however as teachers and administrators, our top priority is keeping all students safe and comfortable both in school and at school sponsored events. After witnessing the last few dances at the high school, we feel that student behavior, particularly the sexual nature of the dancing, is becoming increasingly inappropriate, despite repeated warnings and redirection from the chaperones.
We have had many students come forward to report they do not feel comfortable at the dances because of the nature of the dancing. To us, this is unacceptable and we will not allow this to continue without trying to improve the environment. Mr. Hanna, Mr. Pominville and I have a responsibility that school events are appropriate for all students, and unfortunately, we have determined at this point that the correct decision is to discontinue the dances held at the high school unless and until we can restore the environment to one where all students feel safe and comfortable.
We consider ourselves an administration that is approachable and listens to its students and parents. We have encouraged students to share any suggestions as to how we can improve the dances and make them better for all students. We plan to offer before- and/or after-school forums with students to discuss and brainstorm solutions with the goal of bringing dances back. Based on suggestions provided by the students at these forums, we could decide to bring back the Cotillion and potentially other all school dances. However, until we are able to ensure the environment is safe and appropriate for everyone, we have decided not to offer these events. Just to be clear, we have no involvement and are not sponsoring any upcoming student dances.
If you as a parent have any suggestions on how to improve the dances, we encourage you to contact us as well.
Thank You,
Mr. Bishop, Mr. Hanna and Mr. Pominville
