Watercooler Stories

'Grinding' sinks school dance

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An Oregon high school has canceled its winter formal after teachers refused to chaperone due to fears of sexually provocative dancing.

Cleveland High School in Portland said the January dance was called off because teachers refused to chaperone due to their inability to crack down on a style of dance known as "grinding," The (Portland) Oregonian reported.

"We tried changing the music," Vice Principal Pam Joyner said. "One year we sold T-shirts that said 'No bumping, no grinding' to promote clean dancing. We had chaperones use flashlights to shine on couples dancing inappropriately. I even spoke at one of the dances. We stopped a dance to clean it up."

Matt Shelby, spokesman for Portland Public Schools, said administrators are constantly seeking to strike a balance between keeping events appropriate and allowing students to enjoy themselves.

"It's one of those issues every generation faces," he said. "I'm 32. When I was in high school, we had grunge and slam dancing, and dances had to be shut down. Since the dawn of time, kids want to push the envelope."

Teacher fired for napping in class

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An Ohio school board voted to fire a high school teacher accused of napping during class and discussing adult magazines with a freshman class.

The Perkins Schools Board of Education voted Wednesday to fire Perkins High School teacher Carol Smith, 71, after a hearing officer found her conduct "totally unprofessional, inappropriate, unsafe, outrageous, flagrant and persistent and threatened the safety, security and welfare of the students," the Sandusky (Ohio) Register reported.

Smith, who was suspended without pay in April after she was accused of discussing "Playboy" and "Playgirl" magazines in a freshman history class, was found by the investigation to have frequently arrived late and slept during classes.

The investigation found Smith's discussion of the magazines during a discussion about yellow journalism was not grounds for dismissal. However, officials said sleeping during class and arriving late left the students unsupervised and created safety concerns.

The Register said Smith declined to comment.

School to student: Take U.S. flag off bike

DENAIR, Calif., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Officials in a California school district said a middle school student was told to take a U.S. flag off his bike to avoid "racial tension."

Denair Unified School District Superintendent Edward Parraz said Cody Alicea, 13, was told not to fly the U.S. flag from his bike while at Denair Middle School after complaints from other students, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, Calif., reported.

"(The) First Amendment is important," Parraz said. "We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsibility."

Parraz said racial tensions boiled over at the school this year around the Cinco de Mayo holiday.

"Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they'll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don't really want," Parraz said. "We want them to appreciate the cultures."

Alicea's parents said he flies the flag from his bike as a tribute to veterans in his family.

"He's got that flag on his bike because he's proud of where he comes from," Alicea's father, Robert Kisner, said.

Alicea folds up the flag and keeps it in his backpack while attend class, the TV station said.

Neighborhood wants flag taken down

LAKESHORE, Ontario, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An Ontario, Canada, couple said they will not accede to a neighborhood association demand to remove a Canadian flag from their garage unless ordered by a judge.

Neighborhood association officials say the couple may fly the flag all they like – they just can't use a pole they have attached to the garage.

Brian Cassidy, 63, and wife Linda-Lee Cassidy, 61, of the Mill Retirement Community in Lakeshore, said the homeowners' association told them the flag must be removed from its perch in front of their garage because neighbors had complained about the 8-foot flagpole "changing the architecture" of the house's exterior, a violation of neighborhood bylaws, the Windsor Star reported.

The homeowners' association said the couple will not be allowed to vote at meetings until the flagpole is removed, but Brian Cassidy said he will not be swayed.

"I put that flag up to stay up," he said. "It's not coming down. I take pride in my country and my flag."

Cassidy said he received permission to mount the flag from the neighborhood builder in 2004, a year before the homeowners' association was created.

Keith Chapman, president of the homeowners' association, said the flag would be allowed if the pole was not mounted to the exterior of the home.

"It's never been about a Canadian flag," Chapman said. "It's been about bolting something to your home that hasn't been authorized by the organization. He could fly the flag on his front lawn all he wants to."