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While high school dances were originally established as an appropriate social outlet, dances today have evolved to push the limits of new boundaries. Current school leaders assert that the music played at dances is increasingly suggestive, while students’ dance moves have become more overtly sexual.

With the rise in questionable behavior and elicit dance moves at school events, many school leaders are banning dancing-based events, or in some cases, even prohibiting some students to attend. In an attempt to enforce modest conduct in co-ed interactions, schools are trying to navigate the fine line between students’ celebrations and misbehavior.

What’s the Big Dancing Debate?

While high school students may view their dancing and interactions as innocent and fairly commonplace, the observations through adult and school leaders’ eyes take in a much different understanding.

As reveals in their examination of one local high school, the administration team of Exeter High School banned 19 of their students from a school-sponsored dance due to inappropriate dancing behavior. The dancing that was viewed by school leaders as offensive is commonly referred to as “grinding.” As SeaCoast explains, “This type of dancing, in which two dancers rub their bodies against each other in a sexually suggestive manner, has been a problem at the school for about a year.” Yet this problem is not solely an issue at just a handful of schools. According to school leaders, many administrators are beginning to ban specific songs during school dances in

As the economy continues to struggle, some segments of society are still feeling the financial pain. Public schools across the country are still dealing with budget cuts that have forced them to make difficult decisions in recent years. When pressure from performance-based assessments is added to the mix, finding funding to teach kids to the standards becomes an even bigger challenge. Then, throw in the very real 21^st century need to bring more technology into classrooms – a need that doesn’t come cheap. How are America’s public schools coping with these changes?

Public Schools and Recessionary Funding

Public schools are funded through an array of measures, including local property taxes, state funds, and federal funds. However, as Intercultural Development Research Association explains, the majority of school funding is derived from local property taxes and state funds. The state funds for schools come from sources such as gas taxes, franchise taxes, and other additional taxes.

When a recession occurs, schools are hit by a loss from all three of these funding sources. For example, in areas with a high property tax, schools are generally provided with more funding; conversely, low property taxes usually result in schools with less funding. As many Americans report job loss and subsequent home loss, however, the amount of money taken in from property taxes is gradually decreasing. If individuals are not buying

Despite protests from parents and teachers, many students adopt and embrace habits of insomnia during their essential school years. Especially in the middle and high school years, many young teens receive far less than the recommended average amount of sleep.

The (NSF) suggests that all people—both teens and adults—should receive at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Despite this recommendation, however, studies show that most students receive less than 6.5 hours of sleep each night. According to experts, the amount of sleep a student receives during his or her school years ultimately influences the outcome of each student’s academic performance.

The Significance of Sleep

As reported by , a 2007 study of sleeplessness revealed that a lack of sleep leads to an array of health problems. Specifically, a lack of sleep actually drops the number of white blood cells in the body. With a loss of white blood cells, the body’s immune system is also taxed and less powerful. In a 2007 study, as experts examined the influence of sleep in rats, scientists discovered that after significant and consistent sleep loss, the rats’ immune systems eventually completely failed.

While sleep helps restore our immune systems and bodies, the role of sleep in one’s academic abilities is a bit more unique. As the (NINDS) supports, sleep is not only

In the wake of nearly 10 years of increased school violence, all public schools are legally required to possess specific lockdown and emergency response procedures. Specifically, middle schools and high schools, which experience greater safety breaches due to their age groups, should frequently practice their emergency response protocols to ensure that all students and staff are ready to respond in the rare case of a serious emergency or threat. An awareness of the public school’s emergency protocols can help protect all community members—especially the students.

This video outlines how to set up a protocol for handling a crisis situation.

Types of Emergency Response

Public schools have different “threat levels” that result in specific emergency responses. For example, in Rockville, Maryland employ two specific threat level procedures. The first type of threat is labeled as “code blue.” A “code blue” threat signifies that there is an emergency or serious crisis near the school. In the case of a “code blue,” all Montgomery administrators announce appropriate information to the whole school, resulting in immediate teacher response.

Teachers in a “code blue” situation are to ensure that no students in the building are unsupervised. Classroom instruction continues, however, students are not permitted to leave the building unsupervised. While a “code blue” can potentially turn into a serious situation, this type of threat is generally not a