Having a full dance card isnât necessarily a sweet thing at a Utah elementary school after a parent has raised concerns about a rule that no child can reject another studentâs invitation to dance at a Valentineâs Day party.
Natalie Richard, the mother of a sixth-grader at Kanesville Elementary School in Ogden, Utah, was shocked to learn that it would be against the rules for her daughter to decline another studentâs dance request at the schoolâs annual âHearts Dayâ event.
Itâs a bad message, she says, especially in light of the âMe Tooâ sexual abuse and harassment movement currently dominating headlines. Telling a girl that she has to say âyesâ to a boyâs dance request reinforces the message that âgirls canât say âno,'â she told the news outlet.
âPsychologically,â my daughter keeps coming to me and saying, âI canât say no to a boy,â â said Richard, who went to the schoolâs principal with her concerns and was told that students had followed dance guidelines for years with no complaints. âThatâs the message kids are getting.â
A spokesperson for the Weber School District tells PEOPLE that officials are taking a fresh look at elementary school dance rules because of the controversy, but adds that the âdonât say âno'â policy was put in place for a good reason.
Every year, in advance of the sixth-grade dance, Kanesville students receive dance cards and write down the names of five students theyâd like to dance with on Valentineâs Day, he says.
âHalf of the selections are girlâs choice, and the other half are boyâs choice,â says Findlay, âand students canât dance with the same person more than once. Leading up to the dance, students are taught certain styles of dancing like line dancing as part of P.E., and these dances are incorporated into the Valentine dance. Participation in the dance is voluntary, but is encouraged.â
In the future, though, teachers in the Weber District will be advised to eliminate language in instructions about school dances that suggests students have to dance with another student, he says.
âWe still want to strongly encourage inclusion, kindness and mutual respect,â says Findlay, âbut we feel this change will be of greater benefit to all students who choose to attend these dances.â
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