In a bizarre policy raising concern among parents, middle-school students in the Weber School District in Utah are instructed not to say “no” when asked to dance at school dances.
The district says the rule is in place to teach students how to be inclusive, reports local station KSTU-FOX 13.
“Please be respectful, be polite," said Weber School District representative Lane Findlay, who confirmed that the policy is, in fact, a reality. "We want to promote kindness, and so we want you to say 'yes' when someone asks you to dance."
Even more bizarre, Findlay explained that prior to school dances, students fill out a card with five names of people they want to dance with. If a student is uncomfortable with a classmate, they are encouraged to speak up.
“If there is an issue, if there’s students that are uncomfortable or have a problem with another student, I mean, that’s certainly something that can be addressed with that student and parents,” he said.
Mother of a sixth-grader at Kanesville Elementary, Natalie Richard, told FOX 13 that she didn’t believe the policy was real at first.
When told by her daughter that she couldn’t say “no” if a boy asked her to dance at her school’s upcoming Valentine’s Day dance, Richard replied, “Oh no, no honey. You guys are misunderstanding again. That’s not how it is."
After speaking to her daughter’s teacher and finding out that students were actually instructed not to say “no," Richard took her concerns straight to the principal.
“He basically just said they’ve had this dance set up this way for a long time and they’ve never had any concern before,” she told the local station.
Richard said that the message the school is sending is the wrong one:
“Sends a bad message to girls that girls have to say 'yes'; sends a bad message to boys that girls can’t say 'no,'" she said.
She added that “there are many other ways to teach children how to be accepting than with a social dance.”
As of the now, the rule remains in place, though Richard convinced the school's principal to send out a permission slip to make parents aware of the policy.
What do you think of the policy? Let us know in the comments section below!
(Cover Photo: Screenshot)
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