People are packed onto a crowded dance floor, rap music blares from huge speakers and couples grind passionately into the night; is this a nightclub in Minneapolis? No this is a dance at White Bear Lake High School. What is and is not appropriate at a school dance? Is dirty dancing  wrong? Or is it just kids having fun?

The subject of appropriateness at school dances has long been on administrators minds’. “Same conversation, different kids,” says Principal Tim Wald. Mr. Wald and other administrators firmly believe that the push for change at school dances has to be made by students themselves. “The norm needs to be flipped, and that can only be done by students.” What is going on at school dances that make them so inappropriate? Mr. Wald says that about 40% of dancing is viewed as inappropriate. The grinding that takes place quickly becomes sexual and out of control. Students have told administrators that they feel uncomfortable and have even been groped. “When students are uncomfortable with what they are seeing that can be considered harassment and then that is the school’s problem,” comments Mr. Wald. “It all comes to down to the fact that what’s appropriate at a nightclub may very well not be appropriate at school,” say administrators.

          Student council is taking the initiative to begin to change behavior at school dances. This Tuesday in first hour student council members read a list of rules and guidelines for dancing. The rules include; dance like your Grandma is watching dance east to west not north to south and keep your hands on hips, nowhere above and nowhere below. The Student council along with the administration developed the five guidelines in hopes that they will help kids understand what is and is not acceptable behavior at a school dance. If caught breaking these rules students will be given a warning and a five-minute “time out”, if caught a second time they will be asked to leave. “Students should be able to distinguish between right and wrong-I hope these guidelines will help them make good choices at school dances,” says a student council member in favor of the new policy.  

                    Are these new rules necessary? Most students agree that there are some kids who take it too far, but only three or four at every dance. “When kids dance with their shirts off and their girlfriends wrapped around their waist its a little much,” says a student, “but most of us don’t do that, its just a few kids.” The staff and most students have a different idea of what is appropriate.  Many students grind “north and south” without thinking twice. “We’re not trying to go out there and make people uncomfortable, this is how we dance and we just want to have a good time, we shouldn’t be confined by what someone else thinks is appropriate dancing,” says a student.  The dancing that happens at White Bear Lake and schools all across the country reflect the time and culture we live in; regardless of if the dancing style of this day and age is viewed as inappropriate by staff members and some students it may be extremely hard to change how people act. The few students who blatantly cross the line are easily identified and can be asked to leave; but the majority of that “40%” will have a hard time following rules and changing their behavior when they believe they are doing nothing wrong in the first place. 

          It is understandable that staff members want to make school dances places were students can feel safe and comfortable. This is where the problem lies; there will always be kids who feel uncomfortable because of something. The majority of students at dances feel as if they are doing nothing wrong, just having a good time. Is the majority being punished because of the acts of a few? Is it justified or even possible to change dance culture? Both sides in this debate have valid points and a consensus between staff members, students and dancers may be able to solve the problem and find a happy middle ground. All I know is that if “dirty dancing” is taken away from students the late-great Patrick Swayze would be very upset.