My Letter to the Prior Lake American

As a graduate in the Class of 2009, I must say that Prior Lake High School's administration is going much too far in their regulation of school dances. When I read the article about "inappropriate dancing" and how administrators are reacting, I was shocked. Since Dr. Olson left our school, the atmosphere has become more and more like a prison. I understand some rules that have put into place such as the cellphone policy and others that may directly improve the safety and integrity of the school but I don’t see how regulating how students dance affects either of these components. If these ridiculous policies continue, students will soon not be allowed to talk during lunch or they will be required to bring their entire wardrobes into the school to be checked and approved.

Administrators at Prior Lake High School are abusing their power and infringing on students’ First Amendment rights. Yes, I realize that students have very few rights in school, certainly nowhere near what is guaranteed by the Constitution but this is still an unfair and unneeded infringement.

In my freshman year, students were generally happy with the school and administration, most of the time not so much as complaining about early start times. Since then, I have heard and experienced more and more unrest and discomfort among the student body as the administration enacts more restrictions and takes away more freedoms from students.

I have a feeling that if too many rules are placed on school dances, attendance to those dances will drop significantly. The administration may not mind this but it would be tremendously unfortunate for students because, in my friends’ and my experience, dances were a large, integral portion of our social lives, ranking up there with Friday night football games and “Taco Bell runs” after sporting events. I would hate to see students be deprived of the fun and social experience that I enjoyed so much in my four years at Prior Lake High School.
-A Concerned Alumnus

10-22-2009

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