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Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom


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Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

AP

 

 

Fri May 8, 12:05 pm ET

 

FINDLAY, Ohio – A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

 

Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.

 

Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

 

The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

 

Frost's stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school's rules should not apply outside the classroom.

 

"He deserves to wear that cap and gown," Johnson said.

 

Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did.

 

"I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid," Frost said. "I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end."

 

England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension.

 

"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," England said.

 

The handbook for the 84-student Christian school says rock music "is part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds."

 

England said Frost's family should not be surprised by the school's position.

 

"For the parents to claim any injustice regarding this issue is at best forgetful and at worst disingenuous," he said. "It is our hope that the student and his parents will abide by the policies they have already agreed to."

 

The principal at Findlay High School, whose graduates include Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, said he respects, but does not agree with, Heritage Christian School's view of prom.

 

"I don't see (dancing and rock music) as immoral acts," Craig Kupferberg said.

 

___

 

Information from: The Courier, http://www.thecourier.com

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As much as I completely disagree with the assertions that dancing and rock music are any more sinful than eating peanut butter, the kid and his parents signed a code of conduct when they enrolled in the school.

 

They agreed that the kid would not dance or listen to rock music. They need to honor that word or face the consequences they agreed to beforehand.

 

It's entirely silly, but a promise is a promise.

 

I'm not sure why this is all of the sudden national news. The media bigshots seem to be finding fundamentalist conservatives and are content with bashing every single one of them into the ground.

 

It's a shame.

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Reasons privates dont need to take vouchers. Courts would be all over the school if they took guvmint money. Saw another where this kid at a Christian college was fighting his expulsion at a Christian University because they found out he was a porn star-- a gay one at that. He still feels it was his "job" and the university shouldnt punish him

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This is a risk you run with attending private schools especially religious based ones. The student was following the rules by trying to get the principal's approval but wasn't expecting such strict standards or possible repercussions of attending another school's prom. I don't agree with the controlling nature of it but the parents and the student agreed to the school's policies when they enrolled him in the school.

 

 

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but in todays society, the rules are always bent, and exceptions are made, just for my kid. Agree it is too strict, but you signed the contract. Now if it were a mortgage or now credit card debt, maybe president omobster could bail him out!!!!

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Why would anyone enroll in a school with these type of constraints ? No holding hands with a girl, no kissing a girl, no dancing with a girl ? No rock music ??? This is the crazy, and I'm not going to go "Footloose" on this article.

 

I find it amazing that there are people that think that it is a sin to listen to certain types of music, much less to dance. Yes, dancing did lead to the loss of John the Baptists head, but this is taking it a bit too far. This group is just as bad as the Warren Jeffs group.

 

What is so evil about dancing, or taking a girl out on a date ? :thumbdown:

 

 

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Reasons privates dont need to take vouchers. Courts would be all over the school if they took guvmint money. Saw another where this kid at a Christian college was fighting his expulsion at a Christian University because they found out he was a porn star-- a gay one at that. He still feels it was his "job" and the university shouldnt punish him

 

 

Comparing apple to oranges on that one

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This will probably teach the student not to follow the rules to the letter and disclose his intents. He probably could have attended the prom without anyone ever knowing in his school's administration but he tried to do the right thing and was basically punished for it. There are probably none of the students in that school that haven't broken one rule or another but it is all about what the administration knows about and how seriously they enforce the rule.

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but in todays society, the rules are always bent, and exceptions are made, just for my kid. Agree it is too strict, but you signed the contract. Now if it were a mortgage or now credit card debt, maybe president omobster could bail him out!!!!

Should have known you would find a way to fit obama in this.

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How was the kid punished for it, BGR? These are the school's religious views. The parents apparently have agreed to these views since they enrolled their child in this school (it wasn't his first year, either). The student apparently agreed to the rules since he signed the code of conduct agreement. The family chose the school - probably because of its strict standards. Now they want to baulk because it's so unfair - little Johnny can't dance or hold hands. Sure he can. After he graduates, he can do whatever the heck he wants to do!

 

This happens at a lot of schools. At the beginning of the year, students and parents "read" the student handbook and sign the page that vows they will follow these rules. As soon as the child gets into trouble for breaking a guideline/rule, the student and parents get bent out of shape at how unfair it is.

 

Get over it. Life's not fair. There are rules. If you agree to them, then obey them and suffer the consequences if you break them. If you don't agree to them, go through the proper channels to have them amended OR find another place to be.

 

 

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Not necessarily. There are a few young people out there who are virtuous. It doesn't win every time - just most of the time. Society makes it difficult for them, but some kids do have enough self-respect and common sense to maintain self-control. I'm looking right now at a picture of two of them ...

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How was the kid punished for it, BGR? These are the school's religious views. The parents apparently have agreed to these views since they enrolled their child in this school (it wasn't his first year, either). The student apparently agreed to the rules since he signed the code of conduct agreement. The family chose the school - probably because of its strict standards. Now they want to baulk because it's so unfair - little Johnny can't dance or hold hands. Sure he can. After he graduates, he can do whatever the heck he wants to do!

 

This happens at a lot of schools. At the beginning of the year, students and parents "read" the student handbook and sign the page that vows they will follow these rules. As soon as the child gets into trouble for breaking a guideline/rule, the student and parents get bent out of shape at how unfair it is.

 

Get over it. Life's not fair. There are rules. If you agree to them, then obey them and suffer the consequences if you break them. If you don't agree to them, go through the proper channels to have them amended OR find another place to be.

 

I said he was "basically" punished, that is by being denied the permission to attend. I did not say he was punished. He was told if he attended he would be punished. If he had kept his plans to himself and went, he probably would have never been caught. He was following the rules to get permission to attend and was told not to attend, if he did he would be suspended. Next time he will probably think twice about following the rules to get permission.

 

I agree the parents and the student agreed to the code of conduct. I don't agree with the policy but they did agree to it.

 

On the other hand, I think their are exceptions to almost every rule. We don't know what type of person this student is but because he was following the rules to get permission to go to the prom, I would say his actions show he probably has character. He, most likely, could have attended the prom and not fornicated like a wild animal on center stage just because they accidentally rubbed up against each other while dancing. Like I said, there are exceptions to almost every rule and schools/administrators should look at the students as individuals, not as a one rule fits all. All school have some very good students, some very bad students, and a whole range in between, this is what you can make a judgement call on. The students character is key in exceptions. I know schools/administrators will say, if you make one exception you have to do it for all. No that is not at all right, in my opinion.

 

The student did attend the prom and was suspended. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30669405/?GT1=43001 I commend him on taking a stand against the policy he believes is wrong.

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I said he was "basically" punished, that is by being denied the permission to attend. I did not say he was punished. He was told if he attended he would be punished. If he had kept his plans to himself and went, he probably would have never been caught. He was following the rules to get permission to attend and was told not to attend, if he did he would be suspended. Next time he will probably think twice about following the rules to get permission.

 

He wouldn't have been allowed into the prom otherwise. It was a condition of the school whose prom he was wanting to attend that he get a signed permission slip from the principal of his own school. So there was no way to avoid bringing it to their attention, short of forging the principal's name.

 

Anyway, while the whole thing is ridiculous, there's no real harm being done. The kid will miss out on graduation ceremonies and that's it, but as a trade-off he'll be a minor celebrity for a couple days and he'll have a funny story to tell from now on. The dad should drop the talk of a lawsuit.

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He wouldn't have been allowed into the prom otherwise. It was a condition of the school whose prom he was wanting to attend that he get a signed permission slip from the principal of his own school. So there was no way to avoid bringing it to their attention, short of forging the principal's name.

 

Anyway, while the whole thing is ridiculous, there's no real harm being done. The kid will miss out on graduation ceremonies and that's it, but as a trade-off he'll be a minor celebrity for a couple days and he'll have a funny story to tell from now on. The dad should drop the talk of a lawsuit.

 

 

I have to agree wholeheartedly. Think about the story these two will tell their children and grandchildren. I wish the best for these two kids. I hope they dance the dance of life together, and enjoy every moment of it.

 

 

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