NORTH RICHLAND HILLS -- A letter sent to parents at a Birdville ISD elementary school raised eyebrows for some after it threatened discipline for students who talk about dating or relationships at school.
The letter from Holiday Heights Elementary Principal Michael Wamsley, which was distributed to parents last week, said recently there had been "distractions resulting from the students allowing themselves to get caught up in romantic issues and the drama that follows."
It goes on to list a number of interactions between students that would be considered "not acceptable and [would] result in a Friday detention." The interactions included in the letter:
- Going steady/dating another student
- Discussion of others dating (boyfriend/girlfriend talk)
- Spreading rumors or messages of "who likes who"
- Showing public displays of affection (holding hands, passing love notes, bringing gifts, etc.)
- Any other romantic gesture that distracts from learning in the class
"[...]I know you share our belief that elementary school is no place for boyfriend-girlfriend relationships," Wamsley wrote. "Children between the ages of five and thirteen have more appropriate and important areas on which to focus their energies and attention."
But not all parents at the school, which includes kindergarten through fifth grade, agreed.
Glenda Hutchinson has a grandchild enrolled at the elementary school. She said she didn't think kids would seriously be thinking about dating at that age.
"When you're little, you always like somebody," she said.
Krystal Hurst is the owner of the Dallas Moms Blog, a parenting website that features the work of dozens of mothers. She's also a former educator who taught fourth grade for several years.
"My first thought was, that was really harsh," Hurst said. "As parents, we should be talking to our children about what those feelings mean, when it's apropriate to shows those in a public setting, when it's OK to have those feelings, and that those feelings aren't wrong."
Birdville ISD apparently agreed. BISD Spokesperson Mark Thomas told News 8 by phone that there will not be any discipline of students for these behaviors, and that the first-year principal sent out the letter before receiving district approval.
"[Wamsley] is going to do a follow-up letter that the school will not be discipline a child for saying they are going steady or dating, because as you know, children at that age don't truly understand what those words mean," Thomas said.
He added that children can be disciplined for public displays of affection, as is outlined in the school code of conduct.
Wamsley sent out the follow-up letter Wednesday afternoon.
"As parents, I am asking for your assistance in talking with your child(ren) about the appropriate way to address talking about relationships and displaying those feelings while at school," he wrote in the follow-up. "I can assure you that the student’s teacher [or an administrator] will personally contact individual parents when, or if, this becomes an issue concerning the student’s disruption of the education process."
WFAA.com's Josh Davis contributed to this story.