Seniors deserve dance at prom
When I was first handed the assignment to cover the school board meeting concerning whether seniors would be allowed to have escorts over the age of 21, I have to admit my first reaction wasn?t a positive one. I couldn?t see how any parent would allow their teen to date an adult.
After attending the meeting, I can now honestly say I understand more clearly. These teens are actually 18, the legal definition of an adult. Every parent knows the rules change when your child reaches 18. As parents, we have to trust that we have raised them to the best of our ability and that they can make good decisions. These parents only want to make sure their children have the same wonderful memories of their prom as they themselves had.
As for the ?word of mouth? policy that is being used at the high school, I can?t think of anything more ridiculous. We teach our children not to listen to everything they hear because teens pass along rumor as fact every day. The school tells students to use their student handbook because it has all the information they need including rules, but the policy wasn?t in there.
I don?t believe this policy has been enforced for four years. I have had several discussions with people claiming they were older than 21 or their escort was older than 21 when they attended the senior prom here in Warren County within the last four years.
Whether this has been Bennett?s ?word of mouth? policy for the last four years or not, this year he is strictly enforcing it and the school board is going to allow it. Sadly, there are going to be some unhappy seniors this year. I think this is a shame.
To date, Warren County has never had a problem with the prom itself. With all the precautions, searching and breathalyzers, I would feel safe sending my daughter to the prom regardless of the other attendees? ages. If it?s a safety issue, I won?t care to donate some of my time and I?m sure a lot of people in the community would too.
My heart goes out to these 18-year-olds who find themselves left out of their own prom because their boyfriend or girlfriend can?t attend. Where will their happy memories of their prom come from, a picture that was taken in the Civic Center right before the prom started and their date was asked to leave?
It’s best if we remember the prom is for the students. It’s a reward for all the hard work they have done. The ones who can’t go or won’t go because they are being forced to go alone won’t have the great memories of the prom that the rest of us have or should have.
If one senior doesn’t have happy memories of their prom, we as a community have let them down. The schools belong to the students and not to one individual. Let the students, all of the students, have their prom. Any policy, especially a “word of mouth” policy, shouldn’t stand in the way of that.
At the school board meeting it was mentioned that ?policy? could have been and may even get stricter, like no one over 20 and juniors/seniors only. It will be a few more years before I have to face the prom problems, so I?m worried where this kind of thinking will lead. Will it be seniors/juniors only at the prom in a few years? If this keeps up, it may be up to the parents to ensure that our children have a prom that is safe and that they can enjoy.
Lisa Hobbs is a reporter for the Standard. She can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].