Conflict of Standards

What can be more Americana than a high school senior escorting his girl to her Senior Prom? In Findlay Ohio, at the Heritage Christian School, such a scenario may be classic Americana, but it is also forbidden.

According to the rules of the Heritage Christian School, no student can dance, listen to rock-n-roll, kiss or hold hands. In the HCS student handbook, rock music is characterized as "part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds." Every student must sign a statement of cooperation with the rules, regulations, and standards of the school.

Now, Tyler Frost, a 17 year old Senior, who has attended the school since kindergarten and whose grandmother teaches there, is warned that he will be suspended if he escorts his girl friend to her Senior Prom at Findlay High School, a public school. If suspended, he will not be allowed to attend classes or march in his school's graduation ceremony. He will receive a diploma, though only after he takes his final exams. Further, if he is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled.

I do not agree with the standards governing HCS, but I do defend their right to enact such standards. The school's principal consulted a school committee made up of church members, which must have some regulatory role at the school. This committee made the decision to suspend Frost if he attended the dance. From the story I saw, the HCS principal said, "In life, we constantly make decisions whether we are going to please self or please God. (Frost) chose one path, and the school committee chose the other."

I question why the young man and his family were willing to sign the statement agreeing to abide by the school's rules at the beginning of the school year and now want the rules to be waived for them. I cannot imagine agreeing to let my son sign such a document or attend such a school, but, if I did, I would have a hard time complaining about the enforcement of the rules. I also question how HCS will know what further rules the young man might break unless they have spies at the dance.

This news broke on Friday. The young man went to the dance on Saturday and is now, on Monday, suspended for the rest of the academic year. So, who is right in this confrontation and why? Who would you defend and why? Should you want to read more, please consult: http://www.thecourier.com.