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Rhode Island schools ban father-daughter dances, says dances violate law

Taylor

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CRANSTON, R.I.—School officials in the Rhode Island city of Cranston have ended their traditional father-daughter dances and mother-son ballgames, saying the activities are a violation of state gender discrimination law.


School Superintendent Judith Lundsten tells the Providence Journal the move came in response to a complaint from a single mother, who brought her case to the American Civil Liberties Union after her daughter wasn’t allowed to attend a father-daughter dance.

Rhode Island schools ban father-daughter dances, says dances violate law - thestar.com

In response to a letter from the ACLU, the school district has apparently decided that father-daughter dances and mother-son ballgames violate Rhode Island's gender discrimination laws. Attorneys for the school district say that whereas federal law provides an exemption for these sorts of events, state law does not. The issue was brought to light when a Republican nominee for state senate said he would work toward making that change.

The ACLU, however, claims that it has nothing to do with state vs. federal law. They argue instead that father-daughter dances foster "blatant stereotypes" that should not be tolerated in this day and age:

"Arranging for a dance for girls to go to and a ballgame for boys to go is a tradition that may have worked in the 1950s but it doesn't necessarily play out the same in 2012,"

Thus, they don't care so much about the Rhode Island girl who wanted to attend her father-daughter dance without her father - they're more concerned that a school district would go so far as to foster "outdated notions" by arranging a formal dance activity for girls and a baseball game for boys. Of course, they'd be equally unhappy about a father-daughter baseball game or a mother-son dance.

They didn't comment about what we're supposed to do about the kids who are equally averse to dances and ballgames. Perhaps they want to focus on destroying things one at a time.
 
The ACLU loves tearing people apart.
 
Easy solution, Parent/Child Dance/Ballgame, or just allow the people with only a mother/father do the activity as well. Cancelling it seems childish.
 
I can sort of see where they are coming from. Can a father and daughter go to the baseball game instead of the dance, if that's what they would prefer? If the answer is no, that seems like a problem.

I think having parent-child (i.e. gender neutral) events makes more sense in general.
 
First, what's the source of the second quote? It doesn't appear in the link you provided.

Second, ACLU's statement means imo that families don't always equal married opposite sex parents, which was certainly true decades ago, but not now. A shame that a single lawsuit from a disgruntled parent (shades of Michael Newdow) would bring an end to this very sweet and noble tradition. The bond of father and daughter is the very relationship that our entire society needs to do as much as possible to foster, strengthen, and celebrate. I've said before and I'll say again that 90% of societies problems would be solved if men would learn how to treat women better, and the root of that is a girls view of her father.
 
Why wasn't she allowed to attend? Was it because she's fatherless, because she didn't have an adult with her at all? The article doesn't say.
 
Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall, as the ACLU reviews requests for assistance?

"My social worker says I won't get food stamps if I don't sleep with him."

"My landlord won't provide heat."

"My autistic child was beaten at school by his teacher."

"My neighbor is keeping tigers as pets."

O, no, there's absolutely nothing more important going on than whether a school function reinforces 1950's stereotypes. Nope.
 
Easy solution, Parent/Child Dance/Ballgame, or just allow the people with only a mother/father do the activity as well. Cancelling it seems childish.

what about the orphans [/s]
 
Easy solution, Parent/Child Dance/Ballgame, or just allow the people with only a mother/father do the activity as well. Cancelling it seems childish.
How can you say that canceling is "childish" when the alternatives are "play baseball with your parents" and "dance with your parents" activities - might work for kids in elementary school, but high school students?
 
How can you say that canceling is "childish" when the alternatives are "play baseball with your parents" and "dance with your parents" activities - might work for kids in elementary school, but high school students?

Um, I don't get your point.
 
Why wasn't she allowed to attend? Was it because she's fatherless, because she didn't have an adult with her at all? The article doesn't say.
Good question... she was apparently given several alternatives that she turned down, so the article implies harsher treatment than was offered. I wish I knew the specifics, but I'm guessing she just wasn't allowed to attend the dance with the person she wanted to bring.
 
Good question... she was apparently given several alternatives that she turned down, so the article implies harsher treatment than was offered. I wish I knew the specifics, but I'm guessing she just wasn't allowed to attend the dance with the person she wanted to bring.

I'd like to know, just for curiosity's sake. There's a local organization here that offers a "daddy-daughter" dance, but they allow moms to attend in place of the daddy, or an older brother, uncle, whatever...so long as the girl's partner is 18 or older.
 
Um, I don't get your point.
Changing a father-daughter dance into a parent-student dance completely alters the nature of the event. Once you open it up to everyone (girls and boys alike), it becomes prom-with-your-parents. I just don't see many high school students wanting to attend such an event. Heck, I don't see most pre-teens wanting to attend such an event.
 
they should just call them "human being- human being dances/ballgames".. that way we can totally remove familial relationships from the public eye.. and no one gets offended.
 
Changing a father-daughter dance into a parent-student dance completely alters the nature of the event. Once you open it up to everyone (girls and boys alike), it becomes prom-with-your-parents. I just don't see many high school students wanting to attend such an event. Heck, I don't see most pre-teens wanting to attend such an event.

Well I don't see any high school students or pre-teens wanting to attend the father-daughter dance, or the mom/son baseball game either.
 
A bit more on the story from the local paper, The Providence Journal, which has two interesting points

Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU released a statement that said, "the school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of 'girl' and 'boy' activities and is contrary to federal law."

On Monday, Sean Gately, a Republican running for the state Senate in District 26, denounced Cranston's decision to ban such gender-specific events.

Brown, of the ACLU, said the matter was "amicably resolved" in May and is now being used to stoke controversy during a political campaign.


Now you don't have to believe the ACLU, and I know a lot of you won't - but he is saying the matter was over and done with several months ago. So why is it being thrown into the media now, instead of last April May when the school board was discussing the single mom's request.

For those who really and truly believe the ACLU just hates Christians - you're wrong - here's a story from Utah.
ACLU sues city over claims Christian church being banned from passing out fliers

Here's another instance of those "commie atheists" in the ACLU helping Christians in jail in Virginia in 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union accused the Rappahannock Regional Jail yesterday of unconstitutionally censoring inmates' mail by cutting out references to the Bible.

In a letter to the jail's superintendent, Joseph Higgs, the ACLU told the jail to "remedy the illegal practices" of cutting out biblical references from letters written to inmates.
 
they should just call them "human being- human being dances/ballgames".. that way we can totally remove familial relationships from the public eye.. and no one gets offended.
What about the people that don't like dances OR ballgames? That's really not fair to them. I mean dances and ballgames are SO last century.
 
So why is it being thrown into the media now, instead of last April May when the school board was discussing the single mom's request.
The answer is in the OP - there's a guy running for state senate that wants to exempt these sorts of activities from RI state law as we've already done at the federal level.
 
What about the people that don't like dances OR ballgames? That's really not fair to them. I mean dances and ballgames are SO last century.


and what about those religious types who think dancing is sinful and that nobody should be doing such carnal things?
 
and what about those religious types who think dancing is sinful and that nobody should be doing such carnal things?
Surely the ACLU is on the case to ensure all is fair, no feelings are hurt, and no one is left out.
 
A bit more on the story from the local paper, The Providence Journal, which has two interesting points

Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU released a statement that said, "the school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of 'girl' and 'boy' activities and is contrary to federal law."

Now you don't have to believe the ACLU, and I know a lot of you won't - but he is saying the matter was over and done with several months ago. So why is it being thrown into the media now, instead of last April May when the school board was discussing the single mom's request.

For those who really and truly believe the ACLU just hates Christians - you're wrong - here's a story from Utah.
ACLU sues city over claims Christian church being banned from passing out fliers

Here's another instance of those "commie atheists" in the ACLU helping Christians in jail in Virginia in 2009

Neither the ACLU nor Mr. Brown have any business making declarations about the traditions of a high school in Rhode Island. It's cases like these that give the ACLU its well deserved bad reputation in public discourse. It's outrageous that such an innocuous tradition meant to celebrate the bond between father and daughter must be torn down in the name of "equality".

The ACLU worships the Constitution, not God, and cares about Christians only insofar as civil rights are concerned. The ACLU "supports" Christianity but has no respect for it. Ironically, the very abuse and marginalization of women that many on the left decry is prevented by such dances and other similar social traditions, so that girls who will be women will learn to expect respect and gentlemanly treatment, and immediately and with conviction reject anyone who would treat them differently. The proof of self-esteem comes not from what you can do, but what you won't allow others to do to you.

Dignity is word we need to remember.
 
A bit more on the story from the local paper, The Providence Journal, which has two interesting points




Now you don't have to believe the ACLU, and I know a lot of you won't - but he is saying the matter was over and done with several months ago. So why is it being thrown into the media now, instead of last April May when the school board was discussing the single mom's request.

For those who really and truly believe the ACLU just hates Christians - you're wrong - here's a story from Utah.
ACLU sues city over claims Christian church being banned from passing out fliers

Here's another instance of those "commie atheists" in the ACLU helping Christians in jail in Virginia in 2009

O, the ACLU does a lot of fine work, no question. But they do seem to carry on an awful lot of foolish lawsuits, especially as regards schools.
 
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