Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

[spinbaby]

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_re_us/us_school_dance_flap

[Goblinmonger]

1. No problem with that.

Private schools get to set their rules and he signed them when he decided to go there. The rules seem batshitcrazy to me, but it's their football so they can take it home with them when they want.

[JVS]

2. Sounds fair.

The school belongs to a church that forbids dancing, the kid has decided to go to a dance. They told him before the dance, so this isn't a case of the kid doing something and then finding out that it has weighty consequences after the fact.

It is nice that the school has taken a moderate position by agreeing to grant a diploma pending exams.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. This sorta happened to me. Hubby's parents said he could go but warned him if his

future college found out about it he might not be allowed to attend school. (I never thought it was true. Just assumed it was a way of making sure he didn't go. Kinda like later on when we got married and his parents said if we had drinking or dancing at the reception that they wouldn't attend. But after reading this article, maybe his college would have said "Sorry" to him after all. Who knows?)

[MercutioATC]

4. This is completely wrong!

Oh, wait....no it's not.

[ZombieHorde]

5. Why should they have dominion over what their students do

when they are away from school? Employers should not be allowed to fire those who dance outside of work, why should schools be able to kick kids out who dance outside of school?

[BR_Parkway]

6. Because he apparently agreed to it when he joined the school

And yes, if you agreed to an employment contract (for whatever reason) that banned dancing away from the office, then they caught you doing it later and fired you for it - they'd be perfectly legal - it's a contract.

[Kalyke]

13. But can a minor be held responsible?

Most states will not allow a minor to sign contracts and expect them to be valid - or do the parents co-sign in this case?

[ZombieHorde]

17. I didn't say they were not legal, I said they should not be allowed.

Gay marriage is not legal (eta: in most states), but that does not make gay marriage wrong.

it's a contract

Are minors legally bound to contracts?

[MercutioATC]

21. A kid agrees to attend little league practices.

If he doesn't, he can be kicked off of the team.

That's not a legal contract, but it's still a contract between the team and the child.

[ZombieHorde]

22. That seems true. nt

[MercutioATC]

23. Don't get me wrong, I think fundie rules are ridiculous...

...but this situation isn't without precedent. If it's a group you CHOOSE to join (whether it's the Boy Scouts or a book club or a private school) you agree to be bound by their rules...and their rules don't have to be "reasonable".

[MercutioATC]

8. Because that's what he contractually agreed to do.

I think prohibitions like that are silly....


...which is why I don't agree to them.

[Lyric]

11. Kids can sign contracts?

Huh. Go figure!

[MercutioATC]

19. His parents apparently did...

...and most schools like this won't accept a student unless they also agree to the rules.

[tsuki]

14. They are allowed to terminate if they smoke or use drugs after work. nt

[ZombieHorde]

18. I said they should not be allowed, I did not say they weren't allowed.

Gay marriage is not legal in most states, but that does not make gay marriage wrong.

[jakefrep]

7. And they wonder why fewer people self-identify as Christians anymore

What a miserable hellhole that school must be.

[scheming daemons]

9. OT: Findlay High School is Ben Roethlisberger's alma mater

Just found that interesting.

[Goblinmonger]

10. Reminds me of the old joke

from my days at the Catholic seminary:

Why don't Baptists make love standing up?
Someone might see them and think they are dancing.

[B3Nut]

16. The other one goes...

Q. Why do Baptists oppose pre-marital sex?
A. It might lead to dancing!

(ba-dum *tssshhhhhhhh*!)

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[get the red out]

12. I applaud this kid

He is choosing to make his girlfriend's prom a special event for her by being there. He is choosing concern for another human being over idiotic "rules" and the fools that try to impose them on him with fear and intimidation. He is a good person, a better person than the people at the school by far.

His parents should be proud that he can care for another person, do something for them and not run from it due to fear others try to impose on him. Even if they failed him he could get his GED and move on. These people have their rules but they ultimately don't have any power over this kid, which will drive them nuts if he goes to this prom.

[MercutioATC]

25. His parents put him in a fundie school.

Something tells me they aren't viewing this as a "proud of my kid" moment...

[get the red out]

26. They should be

If they don't have enough intelligence to appreciate his courage it is their problem, and they have a bad one.

[MercutioATC]

28. If they had "enough intelligence", they wouldn't have put him in that school...

To be completely fair, if they valued independent thought, they wouldn't have put him in that school.

[get the red out]

31. I am not taking up for them

believe me

[juno jones]

15. Who signed the contract?

Parents? Stupid. Probably illegal.

Kid? Illegal. Minors cannot enter contracts.

Go Tyler, dance and be free....

[MercutioATC]

20. Parents? Definitely....and NOT illegal.

...and the kid probably agreed to the rules. Most of these schools won't take kids who won't agree to the restrictions.

[Dollface]

24. Three cheers for Public Schools!

[LanternWaste]

27. So this will be the only Prom Thread in Du history...

So this will be the only Prom Thread in DU history which does not contain the standard social denigrations...

1. Proms are elitist
2. Proms are misogynistic
3. Proms are classist.
4. Proms are (insert favored trendy denigration here)

I'm impressed. :evilgrin:

[alfredo]

29. If his parents tell him that he made a deal with his date to go to the prom

with her, and that he must go, then he can tell the school that he was honoring his commitment and the instructions of his parents. Can they punish him for honoring his mother and father?

[alfredo]

30. You know why Baptist don't screw standing up?

[chaplainM]

32. Isn't skipping a form of dancing? n/t