 
|
|||||||||
              
|
Schools trying to get amorous teens to embrace some rules of restraint
Wednesday, January 02, 2002 By Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Like many high school sweethearts, Kristy Parker and Justin Abernethy almost always sit together during lunch at Northgate High School.
Most days, when they're finished with their pizza or burgers, the 17-year-old seniors hold hands; if he's feeling particularly affectionate, Abernethy may even slip his arm around his girlfriend of two years and nuzzle as the couple gabs with friends.
"Why not?" he said with a grin. "It's enjoyable, and we like to be together."
They're not alone. Across the room during a recent lunch period, freshmen Nicole Cortese and Brandon Ryan, who have been dating for seven months, also are clasping hands under the table as they wait for the bell to ring, as are Donna Thompson and Alan Dennis, both juniors.
But all three pairs of lovebirds said they knew where to draw the line when it comes to more passionate displays of affection.
For as long as there have been high schools, love-struck boys and girls have been holding hands, hugging and kissing. But administrators say classrooms and hallways are hardly the place for what the kids call "PDA" -- public displays of affection.
To keep percolating hormones from bubbling over, many high schools and even some middle schools are establishing specific written policies or guidelines governing such behavior. For instance, Northgate's student handbook stipulates that "excessive displays of affection -- kissing, embracing, etc. -- are prohibited in school."
While he may plant little pecks on Parker's cheek "here and there," Abernethy said, that's about it during school hours. His girlfriend agrees.
"When you see kids pushed up against the walls, kissing, it's kind of gross," said Parker, scrunching her nose. "That's not something that should be in public."
At Mt. Lebanon High School, the handbook states, "Students are prohibited from public displays of affection toward others."
Some rules are more vague. The North Hills High School code of conduct states that an "important goal" of the school is to "help students develop self-discipline. Students share the responsibility to maintain an atmosphere within the school that is conducive to wholesome learning and living."
According to Principal Jack McCurry, faculty members use a common-sense approach to deal with the issue, which would typically include asking the students to "move along."
In Pittsburgh, the "PDA" problem comes under the student handbook's "appropriate behavior" section, said district spokeswoman Pat Crawford. Each school can handle the issue the way it sees fit, she said.
Ringgold High School in Washington County is another that leaves it up to teachers and administrators to determine when over-amorous displays of affection need to be squelched.
As in most high schools, holding hands is perfectly acceptable. But if kids are caught kissing or embracing, "of course they're warned," said Assistant Superintendent Edward Repka. If the behavior continues, he said, each student would receive a one-day in-school suspension -- in separate rooms.
A quick kiss is OK at Penn Hills High School. But when couples hold hands across their waists and "start connecting their hips too close," Assistant Principal Dan Garofalo splits it up. Deep kissing would also warrant a reprimand.
Still, at Penn Hills and most other high schools, administrators say PDAs almost never result in disciplinary action. It's not that you won't find kids locking lips or pressing each other up against the lockers -- it's that they're quick enough that adults don't catch them.
"If students see a principal or teacher coming in their direction and they're hugging or kissing, they break up," said Moon Area High School Principal Mike Hauser.
At Shaler Area High School, where there are no specific rules against PDAs, Principal William Suit has only occasionally had to discipline students for inappropriate kissing or hugging. The bigger problem, he said, is when kids are late to class because they've managed a rendezvous in a more private venue.
"The kids know school is not an appropriate place or time," he said.
Some students maintained that what they get away with depends on who's patrolling the halls; some teachers are more tolerant than others.
Harry Smith, assistant principal of Penn-Trafford High School, said his district made a concerted effort to get "everyone on the same page" regarding public affection.
"We've trained teachers to be consistent and give the same message," he said.
Where do they draw the line? Sustained embraces, pelvic grinding, deep passionate kisses -- anything that would "embarrass you in a public situation."
But increasingly, students themselves are the ones policing overt displays of affection because they find the behavior embarrassing.
"Anything longer than a few seconds, I don't appreciate in the hall," said Jason Spinola, 17, a Shaler High School junior. "This is school."
"It's acceptable, but only to a certain extent," said Northgate ninth-grader Pete Legari, 15. "I mean, you can't go all out in the hall."
And if they do?
"We tell them to get a room," Legari said, laughing.
Mt. Lebanon junior Piper Floyd, 16, said that between classes, he frequently holds hands with his girlfriend of one year. But he, like most of his peers, said he knows where and when to stop.
"No one really wants to see people making out," he said. "I don't know how they can have the guts to do that."
Baldwin-Whitehall's Harrison Middle School, which has about 1,100 pupils in grades six to eight, is among those attempting to nip the issue in the bud.
Hand holding is prohibited and even an innocent hug elicits a reminder that "we shouldn't be doing that," said Vice Principal Michael Sears.
Most kids don't start showing a real interest in the opposite sex until the eighth grade, Sears said, "but we don't want it to get out of hand."
Pearl Simmons, a community education specialist for Children's Hospital, said prime PDA time was around age 14. But, she added, "I've seen elementary school girls imitate the sexual behavior they see on MTV."
Because of those images, Simmons recommends limiting the hours of television and monitoring the sexual content and images on their kids' favorite shows.
The terminology might be new, but most principals said "PDAs" aren't any worse than when they were in school.
"Kids are testing the boundaries and looking for what they can and cannot do," said Bart Rocco, principal of Thomas Jefferson High School. "But we try to teach them you are judged in this world by what you say and how you act."
Education writer Jane Elizabeth contributed to this report.
|
||||||||
