The school board in Montgomery, AL, has such a strict policy against public displays of affection that it recently gave detention to two middle school girls who hugged female friends while on school grounds. Supposedly, bans like these are hyper reactive measures to prevent sexual harassment claims between students. The rationale behind “no hug” bans is that school officials don’t want to have to make the distinction between friendly hugs and unwanted ones — but shouldn’t the student being hugged be the one to express the difference? Anyway, if you tell kids that hugging each other inappropriately is not an on-campus activity, they’re just going to assume it’s okay for off-campus recreation, along with smoking cigarettes behind the 7-Eleven and stealing Playboys from under dad’s bed. [MSNBC]
