In response to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Cranston Public Schools will no longer hold father-daughter or mother-son activities. The letter was sent on behalf of a mother who said that it was not an option for her daughter to go to a "father-daughter" dance and because of this the dances we exclusionary.
According to state law, discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited in admissions, the classroom, curriculum, athletics, counseling, "and any other school function and activities." What is the alternative to canceling the dance
Nicole Morales (Period 6)
9/18/2012 11:33:56 pm
AH! THIS IS THE MOST IDIOTIC THING I HAVE HEARD ABOUT IN A LONG TIME! My brother told me about this on Skype yesterday, and my face must have been priceless. This is reversed-unconstitutional or whatever it is called. What about the girls who don't have a single mother for a parent and enjoy the dances?! I used to love the father daughter dances and the girls who did not have a father never had a problem or felt badly about it. They had their uncle or grandfather go with them, or a friend dad would dance with them if that wasn't possible. I don't see what the big deal is and according to what I have heard, single mothers didn't have a problem with the dances either. Anyway, an alternative to the dance could be a family dance where you can bring your family to the dance and have fun with them. They could also do a "girl's choice" where the girl could pick a family member (even a sister or a brother) to go with them to the dance. I find it kind of pointless, but I suppose these alternatives could work. Either way, though, people would have to get used to not having a father daughter dance so girls would probably choose their dads to accompany them. I could be wrong about this, but we will see what they do instead.
Danika Wayss Period 6
9/19/2012 01:39:55 am
I used to love "father-daughter" dances; however, I cannot even imagine what it is like to be a little girl who feels excluded by these dances. Luckily, I have never had to go through this. As badly as I feel for the girls who feel excluded, I believe there should be an alternative. For example, instead of having a "father-daughter" dance have a "girls choice" dance (this is what my former elementary school always called it). This way each girl can choose if they want to bring a grandparent, mom, aunt, uncle, or even a family friend and no girl will feel excluded.
Wenli Period 3
9/19/2012 02:47:55 am
I only went to two or three father daughter dances but i still have my opinions about what they are doing. I think this is really really dumb. Because of one mother's letter everyone's' fun is ruined. It's not fair. The father daughter dance is a big deal in elementary school is could be compared to prom or homecoming as a high school student. It's something to look forward to and it's an event that is special to some girls. Instead of getting rid of it all together, they should have discussed it more and maybe thought of a different name to call it. I hope someway they can rethink their decision and make a better choice for the future.
Claudia DeMelo
9/19/2012 02:54:52 am
I remember when I was little, I went to a father-daughter dance at my elementary school. One of my friends went with her uncle that year because her dad was away. The school that this little girl goes to should allow things like that. They could also turn dances into family events. No mother-son and father-daughter. You could go with any family member, or maybe some friends and their family if necessary.
Cara Period 3
9/19/2012 03:46:32 am
This is rediculuous. I loved father daughter dances when i was younger. Not only is it a dance, but it is a time where parents or GUARDIANS can spend time with their children. IT does not need to be called "father-duaghter" dances. Inastead they could turn in into family dance or a family event with this kids involved as well as any family memeber that would like to attend. What has the world come toooo!?!?!
Makenzie Driscoll Period 4
9/19/2012 04:46:50 am
I loved going to the father-daughter dances! They were the best part of going to school when I was little, i feel bad for the girls in cranston that can no longer have them. Just call it laidies choice like they did at hoxsie, people could bring their mom, dad, uncle, grandfather, or brother! What is wrong with people, they didnt think of asking a relative to take her?
Alexis Lavallee period 5
9/19/2012 08:44:27 am
In my opinion, this is ridiculous. It's not fair to all the students who enjoyed and attended these dances just because one mother was unsatisfied. A lot of kids, especially in the younger grades, love these father daughter dances. Instead of canceling the dance all together, they could have thought of another name to call it as to not discriminate against kids who don't have a parent to take. Canceling the dance was a very stupid decision!
Gabrielle Demers Period 5
9/19/2012 11:27:37 am
This is so crazy! I would always go to my father daughter dance. At my school though it was called a laddies Choice so it wasn't leaving anyone out we could talk any guy who was like a father figure to us! I don't understand why they couldn't call it that instead of ruing it for everyone that's not really at all!
Andrea Henninger period 5
9/20/2012 05:50:58 am
I think that this is ridiculous. I used to look forward to my father daughter dance every year, and I can not imagine not having one. However, I can understand why this mother feels like it is exclusive. So maybe instead of totally baning them, Cranston should allow the girls to bring an uncle, or grandfather, that way everyone can still go even if they do not have a father.
Matt Carney
9/20/2012 06:26:37 am
I couldnt go to father-daughter dances but i still think its wrong. I think they should allow it even if some kids parents are divorced. There are kids out there with their parents not divorced.
Alyssa Ford Period 5
9/20/2012 07:10:30 am
I do not think it is fair to the children to cancel the father daughter dance. When I was in elementary school I did not have a dad to take me but I went with my grandpa or older brother which was just as fun. I can understand where the girls without dads are coming from but I do not think they should cancel the dance over this. An alternative would be to hold a girl's choice like someone said in an above comment. This way the girls can take whoever they want and not feel excluded. 9/20/2012 09:56:52 am
Obviously this event is supposed to be something fun for an elementary school girl. They get to dress up and go out with their fathers and there are no boys around to bother them...but they should allow someone with a father who is not involved in their lives to bring someone else. There is nothing like feeling excluded from all you classmates. Give the girl and option, because now you are ruining the experience for the girls who would go to father daughter dances. Now no one gets to go.
Marrina Yeomans period 3
9/20/2012 10:19:04 am
. I did love going to father-daughter dance. They should really let people who don't have a father bring someone else. Vice versa for their mothers. As usual, leave it to the law to mess something up for everyone else.
Christian Gamez Period 5
9/20/2012 11:41:08 am
This is a ridiculous reason to end these types of dances for all. There are many alternative for those who unfortunately do not have a father. For example they could possibly bring an uncle or a father figure in their life or even their mother. Many issues like this have been occurring recently because of the social differences that many of us have. All I have to say about this issue is that people need to focus on more important issues than a dance.
Victoria Curley period 5
9/20/2012 11:46:56 am
My elementary school did this for the longest time. I personally find it ridiculous because a simple name change of the dance would make it no longer offense to anyone. Calling a father-daughter dance a ladies choice dance would now make it so girls could choose who they want to go with them. I think it is important for young girls and boys to have these special nights with who ever their gaurdien is, because it's the nights like those that children never forget
Alex Bowden Period 6
9/20/2012 12:16:40 pm
Go to the dance with your mom or brother or sister or cousin or uncle or aunt or friend or grandma or grandpa or boyfriend or friend or family friend if you don't have a dad. PROBLEM SOLVED! I can't believe the freaking ACLU got into this.
Melissa Abels period 5
9/21/2012 12:22:10 am
I think that it is ridiculous to say that these dances should be taken away from students just because of the few that are excluded. If a child does not have a father to go with, then they could either not go, or go with another male family member such as an uncle or older brother. I think that these dances are something that allows parents to spend time with their kids, so that should not be taken away just because of a few people who have a problem with it.
mikaela period 1
9/21/2012 11:30:58 pm
I do not think this is fair at all. I believe that they should not base it on a couple of people because many people enjoy the father daughter dances. When i was in elementry i loved them and we got to all spend times together. I think that is you dont have a legal guardian (mom or dad) you could bring someone else. I dont not think this is fair that they shut this down for all familes.
Mackenzie Egan period 6
9/22/2012 04:50:01 am
this honestly makes me mad. Especially because i have divorced parents and once my dad thought he couldn't make it, so i almost brought my mom, but then my dad could go again. But what if someone didn't have their dad, their saying they couldn't go? i loved those dances and i couldn't imagine being a little girl without them. I don't think they should say this regarding a couple people, honestly.
Lisa period 1
9/22/2012 11:53:03 am
I think this is crazy. If a daughter doesn't have a father then she should just bring her mother. There are no rules against it and all my friends that didn't have fathers used to bring their mothers. If it is that big of a deal then just change the name of the dance.
Tora DeLiello period 1
9/23/2012 05:17:11 am
I am in the middle about this. I used to love going to father daughter dances when I was little. But if I was a little girl and didn't have a father to go to the dance with I would be upset myself and would think it is unfair. A good alternative to not having mother-son/father-daughter events would be all-family events. Whoever wants to accompany you in your family to the event is welcome. That way everyone is happy and no one feels excluded.
Erica Period 3
9/23/2012 11:04:02 am
This is terrible why does one person need to ruin things for everyone else, if this was my mother I would be absolutly mortified! There are so many more options then making everything about yourself, it is unneccassary! If a young girl or boy are not able to take a mother or father to a dance with them, then I am sure that there is another option such as bring a close adult male or female in the place of your mother or father. Examples being : An aunt, an uncle or a grandparent.... ect. It is stupid to cancel these dances all together, some kids look forward to them every year.
Molly Period 1
9/23/2012 12:45:59 pm
To me, this is dumb. In elementary school i loved father daughter dances, and every year i would love to go pick out my dress and get ready for the one big dance of the year. Some people at my school didn't have fathers, and didn't complain at all. They either went with there uncles or mothers, and with no questions asked, they had fun and danced with friends. I seriously don't get why people do this. They make such a big deal about little things, and in some ways ruin it for every body else. And to cancel the one big dance of the year? That doesn't seem fair. Even if they changed the name of the dance to "girls choice" it would make people happy. How? to change the name? How people can be so dumb sometimes.
Nathan h period 4
9/24/2012 12:48:44 am
I think that this is good but bad. It is good because there is no discrimination but bad because people want the option for a father daugter or mother son dance and that is being taken from them.
Alexia M period 6
9/24/2012 08:11:25 am
WHAT?!?! The father-daughter dances were awesome when I was a little kid. I don't understand why a mother is complaining. They have a mother-son activity, what more do they want? Even if mothers don't have sons, they have gone with their daughters on that night. I have seen it before. Father-daughter dances create bonding time for them and shouldn't be gone. What is so bad about them that Cranston has to get rid of them? What harm are they really causing?
Leah F Period 6
9/24/2012 09:12:45 am
I don't think that this is right. At my elementary school, we had Ladies Choice and Boys choice, allowing the student the option to take their mother or father with them to either event. Not only is this a good idea, but it would help to solve the dispute between having the mother-son or father-daughter events. I think that canceling the events is wrong, instead change what you call it and allow students to bring who they choose.
Katie Lundin period 6
9/26/2012 03:38:06 am
I'e never had a father daughter dance but i can see from the commets that lots of girls liked them. At my school we had family dances where fathers and mothers came. i know it wasn't awhile ago but i really don't remember them. If there can;t be father daughter dances there should be family dances.
kassandra rivera period 1
9/26/2012 06:16:48 am
i never been to a father daughter dance but i dont think they should cancel it because i saw the comments and a lot of girls reallly like them.
Sophie B p. 6
9/27/2012 11:30:52 am
It shouldn't be required to only have fathers and daughters go to the dance. If a girl maybe doesn't have her father in her life, she should be able to bring whoever she wants, maybe a father figure in her life that isn't her biological father or anybody else that she wants to bring. Also for the mother-son activities, the son shouldn't have to only bring his mother he could bring whoever he wants that is an adult in his life.
Daniel Pietrantonio Period 6
9/28/2012 05:00:34 am
I think that people are making a big deal over nothing because instead they could just do dances with any family member. That way nobody could be left out.
Daniel Peladeau Period 6
9/29/2012 06:28:22 am
I think that they should just make a family dance and let the student from the school decide what family member they want to bring to the dance. It isn't the girls fault that she doesn't have a father that she can bring to the dance, either you make after school activities open to all students or no students at all. You can't exclude certain groups of people from events just because they don't have a father, it isn't fair and they should just cancel this dance to show that they are trying to mend after school activities that could exclude certain groups of people.
Tiana Dickenson Per. 4
9/29/2012 09:34:08 am
WOW. My dad said that this is why we ( wyman) call it GIRL'S CHOICE! Even if they didn't, i'm pretty sure you don't have to bring a father. Bring someone who is like your father if you don't have one. I'm pretty sure people have brought their moms before.
ryan grundy period 4
9/29/2012 10:52:57 am
I think they just make parent son dances and parent daughter dances that way everyone has an option to go and wont feel left out
Devon per 6
9/29/2012 01:51:07 pm
This law needs to be changed soon! Father daughter and mother son dances are not discriminating towards any gender. Who would even send in a letter complaining about something like this? Its a dance its discriminating anyone. This law is really stupid
Dylan Pontes period 6
9/29/2012 02:20:37 pm
I don't think you really need an alternative and if the girl wants to go to the dance she can. Maybe she could just get permission from the principal or something to go with her mother instead of her father to the dance. I don't see why people are making a big deal out this little problem. Why end the dances when you can just bend the rules a little bit.
Casey White
9/30/2012 06:43:11 am
Really? I feel that just because its called a "father-daughter" dance doesnt mean you have to bring your father. I can only imagine how it feels to not have a dad, but to ruin every other little girl's chance to spend quality time with their dad at school is just wrong. If you really want your daughter to go to a father daughter dance then have her take her uncle or grandfather.
Jessica Pope
10/1/2012 09:29:01 am
I think this is ridiculous. I remember having father-daughter dances ever since i was 3 or 4. I loved them! I don't think that just because some people don't have a father to bring doesn't mean that there shouldn't be a dance. I knew plenty of kids when I was little who didn't have a dad to bring so they would just bring their mom, their grandparent or some other relative instead, and they didn't mind. I am sure that most children wouldn't even mind bringing a person other than their dad. Just because some lady wrote a ridiculous letter doesn't mean all the other little girls in the school should be penalized for it.
Jessica Pope Period 3
10/1/2012 09:30:25 am
Whoops Period 3!!!
megan parkhouse per 1
10/4/2012 09:31:18 am
I personaly think its stupid why can they just have a family dance were you can invite any adult to go with you. Comments are closed.
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