Go to Prom, Get Suspended, School Says
AP
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FINDLAY, Ohio (May 8) - 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.
Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did.
"I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid," Frost said. "I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end."
England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension.
"In life, we constantly make decisions whether we are going to please self or please God. (Frost) chose one path, and the school committee chose the other," England said.
The handbook for the 84-student Christian school says rock music "is part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds."
England said Frost's family should not be surprised by the school's position.
"For the parents to claim any injustice regarding this issue is at best forgetful and at worst disingenuous," he said. "It is our hope that the student and his parents will abide by the policies they have already agreed to."
The principal at Findlay High School, whose graduates include Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, said he respects, but does not agree with, Heritage Christian School's view of prom.
"I don't see (dancing and rock music) as immoral acts," Craig Kupferberg said.
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2009-05-08 12:13:47
Frost's stepfather is right--- "the school's rules should not apply outside the classroom"---but with fundamentalists, logic doesn't apply.
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2 comments:
What does one do when a young person grows or thinks outside the "norm" of a certain cultural "role" or tradition? Should they be allowed to appeal to authorities? and then if the authroities decide that it is still wrong and do not change their minds, then the parents have to decide what to do....withdraw the boy or ask the boy to obey the "rules". Which is best for the parent? I don't think that this one has an easy straightforward answer, as the parents must look at the child's needs, interests and weigh that in light of the school's. Some would think that it would be absolutley necessary to support the school's decision and teach the child to "obey". But, that is not allowing the child to be brought up in the "way he should go' and not the "way the school should go"....
Thanks for your insights and the link to your Blog. Good questions...if children aren't taught to think for themselves how can they face reality for themselves? Sorry for the slow response.
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