It is not a school’s responsibility to enforce rules that prohibit twerking

By Staff Writer Jena Fakroddin

Celebrity Miley Cyrus made twerking popular nationwide. Videos of twerking teenagers have gone viral and have caused schools and lawmakers to enforce severe consequences for the vulgar behavior. Schools should not be punishing students for freely expressing themselves; it is the parents job to set restrictions.

According to a report by NBC San Diego, 31 students from Scripps Ranch High School were suspended for twerking in a video filmed on campus. School officials reacted to the video as a sexual harassment violation. The report said, “the Scripps Ranch HS student handbook specifically outlines its sexual harassment policy prohibiting sexual nature made by someone from or in the educational setting.” Teenagers should be held accountable for violating the school’s policies, but schools should be held responsible for providing a safe environment where students of all ages are free to express themselves, even if that means shaking their bottom.

These administrators need to re-evaluate their priorities when deciding what behavior is most important to control. The movement of hips causes no threat to personal safety. Energy could be better spent treating serious problems such as bullying. School policies have their place, but not necessarily in controlling harmless personal conduct. It is the parents’ responsibility to educate their teenagers on school appropriate behavior.

While it may be necessary for the parents to restrict their teenagers’ behavior, discretion should be used when determining what consequences are too extreme. According to ABC news, In Bakersfield California, Frances Hena made her 11 year-old-daughter, Jamie, hold up a sign at a busy intersection saying, “I was disrespecting my parents by twerking at a school dance.”

It was right of Hena to restrict her daughter’s behavior, but making Jamie hold up a sign at a busy intersection was too extreme of a punishment.Parents need to determine the difference between appropriate consequences and extreme punishments. Even though Hena’s punishment is questionable, it is within her rights to set behavior restrictions without interference from the school.

No teenager should be penalized for self-expression even if it means, “thrusting the bottom and hips in a low, squatting stance.”

It is the obligation of parents to educate their teenagers on school appropriate behavior, not the school administration. The thought of punishing teenagers for twerking is absurd; it’s not something our society needs to draw attention to.