I was sent this piece about a school in England banning physical contact between students from a governance overreach perspective, but I can understand why the school implemented the policy. After all, touching is not always healthy.
Many years ago I taught at a large PK - 12 school with a large High School division. Prior to my arrival, the HS Principal had instituted an "airspace rule", ie students had to maintain a one-foot distance from each other while walking in the corridors, sitting outside etc. Naturally I was curious, having just come from a small touchy-feely school where hugging and walking hand-in-hand was the norm.
Previously, the school had had serious problems with PDAs. or Public Displays of Affection. Students were ostentatiously kissing, grooming, even groping, coupling and uncoupling, relationship status-flaunting, and all this was happening anywhere, everywhere and at any time. There were no hints that this was not consensual, however Me Too has shown us that we cannot assume that it always was. The HS office was overwhelmed with parent complaints, teacher complaints, student complaints, visitor comments : they had to do something.
The High School implemented a "no kissing policy", but HS students being HS students found loopholes were big enough for school buses to drive through. A European kiss on the cheek, the European three kisses, a peck on the lips, a longer peck in the lips, a smooch, tongue or no tongue, a hug or a cuddle ... Teachers found the policy impossible to police and the HS Principal found it impossible to be consistent in applying sanctions.
Thus the airspace rule. It was a simple solution to a complex problem and easy to understand, easy to enforce. Of course it might seem draconian, especially to those outside the HS reality or unaware of the history of this particular issue at this particular school. Drawing a black-and-white line was the only possibility, since the earlier grey-zones had not been helpful.
The English school's reasons are not given in the article, nor the history nor the event(s) which prompted it. However, I strongly suspect that previous softer approaches had not solved a particular problem thus the need for this measure. If only the armchair pundits who feel so compelled to pass judgement (on anything) would understand and accept that school policies are not made in a vacuum.
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